Stray
by IGotTheWanderingMind
Summary: On heavy paws, she weakly limps, a child on her back... "My Mom used to talk about their kind, like they were a myth." Derek says, looking at Scott. What creature is invading Beacon Hills? Could it be responsible for all the death, all the dead bodies showing up? With something new in town, the hunters' interests will be peaked too, but how far will they go? Derek x OC, slow burn.
1. Chapter 1

**As promised, my new baby, my new story, is born!  
**

 **Things you should know:**

 **-The fire still happened but the Hales don't know it was Kate, they have their suspicions though, especially Jessie (OC, Derek's younger sister).**

 **-Derek never dated Kate, the only history between the Hales and the Argents is that they hunt what Derek's family is/were.**

 **-Derek bit Isaac. His pack consists of 3 werewolves; himself, Isaac and Scott, and of 3 humans; Stiles, Jessie and Danny (OC, Scott's younger sister, good friend of Jessie's).**

 **-Rafael McCall (The McCall's father) passed away when they were young. The Sheriff and Melissa are now married, and Scott, Stiles and Danny all live together with them.**

 **-This story will not follow any of the television seasons, but will have parts of plots amongst my own storyline, if that makes sense.**

 **Ages:**

 **Danny McCall (** OC: Looks like a young Miley Cyrus, when she had the shoulder length blonde hair and the gold nose ring **) - 16, in 6th form**

 **Jessie Hale (** OC: Looks like a young Briana Evigan , Andie from the Step Up Movies, with the fringe but lighter eyes, more hazel/blue **) - 16, in 6th form**

 **Scott McCall - 17, in 6th form**

 **Stiles Stilinski - 17, in 6th form**

 **Isaac Lahey - 17, in 6th form**

 ** **(Note: Even with the small gap in age, they are all still in the same year group)****

 **Derek Hale - 21**

 **Ashlyn Williams** **(** OC: Looks like Ksenia Solo with just a small pinch of Lauren Cohan (Maggie from Walking Dead) but with black hair **) - 21**

 **Melissa McCall - 40**

 **John Stilinski - 43**

 **Warnings for some rough language, for some darker themes maybe too!**

 **Favourite and follow because there is definitely more to come! Will update about once a week! And, of course, review! Because I love to know what you think!**

 **And there you have it, enjoy!**

.

 _Tuesday 10th May - Early Hours Of The Morning_

On heavy paws, she weakly limps.

She pushes the exhausted child further up her back with her muzzle because he's slipping, he isn't holding on as tightly anymore, and even that action takes more energy from her, not that she has much more to give.

She passes a large stump, and that's when her legs buckle and she falls to her side, falling against it with a thud.

The jaguar can no longer carry herself or the child. She can no longer push herself.

The glowing green of her eyes fade out and blinking becomes too much of a chore.

That's where she passes out, the child dangerously close to unconsciousness on her back.

.

"We don't normally go this far out." Scott says, glancing at the Alpha walking a few steps ahead of him, his eyes peeled.

"You're telling me you can't smell that?" Derek asks, looking back at him with raised eyebrows, before looking back in front of him, watching each shadow, making sure they're only trees and nothing alive or moving.

"No, man. I don't smell anything." Scott shakes his head.

Derek doesn't say anything else, he just keeps walking.

Scott follows, and he doesn't say anything else either.

It's silent for another 5 minutes, and Scott still doesn't know what they're looking for. They're patrolling the borders, in case whatever killed that man and his two daughters is still around, but they've gone off the reservation and Scott doesn't know why.

"Derek-" He tries.

"Quiet." Derek stops him, holding his finger to his lips. He comes to an abrupt stop, grabbing Scott's arm so he stops as well. Derek just points it out before Scott can even open his mouth.

"Wake up, Puddy Tat." The child pokes at the jaguar's face, trying to rouse it. "Puddy Tat."

"Derek, we have too-" Scott says under his breath, because that's a _child_ poking a _jaguar_ in the face.

"Stop." Derek grabs his arm again, much tighter. "That's not just a jaguar."

Scott frowns in confusion, looking back over at it again.

And then he finally understands what Derek was smelling.

"You get it now?" Derek asks him, his voice quiet too.

"Were-Jaguar?" Scott asks him, his face screwed up in disbelief.

"My Mom used to talk about their kind, like they were a myth." He says in confirmation.

"What do we do about the kid?" Scott asks, glancing at the young boy with worry again, because he's now pulling at the jaguar's whiskers. And the animal isn't doing anything, it isn't moving.

"Stay behind me." Derek gives as an answer, letting his arm go.

Scott doesn't question it, he just follows the Alpha as he silently and slowly approaches the large feline sprawled out alongside the stump of a cut-down tree.

"Grab the kid. I'll watch it." Derek directs.

Scott nods, stepping closer to the boy.

The young child realizes he isn't alone, and he looks up at them. His pale blue eyes look between the two of them with many questions.

"Shhh, it's okay." Scott coaxes, moving closer to him.

Derek watches the jaguar's body, listening to it's heartbeat, which is a lot slower and weaker than it should be. He watches the muscles in it's legs, because they'll be the first thing to move if it were to wake up.

"C'mere." Scott brings his hands under the boy's arms, lifting him up.

"We need to leave." Derek says, looking at Scott.

"What about.." He looks down at the dark beast. "What if it's hurt or something?"

"If it wakes up then-" Derek doesn't even get to finish his sentence.

The jaguar's eyes snap open, shining a bright green colour. It didn't take long for her barely conscious state to realize the child was no longer leant against her, touching her.

"Get back." Derek's over to Scott in a split second, getting in front of him and the child.

Scott clutches the boy, stepping back.

Derek's eyes light up red as the jaguar snaps out angry growls, seeing Scott is now in possession of the child.

But she tries to get to her feet, because she's not letting anyone else try to hurt this child or take him away. She staggers, her legs still weak, her body still sore and her head still swimming.

"Derek.. It's hurt." Scott says, able to see the dried blood in the dark fur on the jaguar's hind leg, and the blood staining the stump, a more darkish colour.

"Stay back." Derek declines as Scott tries to step closer for a better look.

The jaguar's vision blurs, but she can smell that these _wolves_ posses the child she tramped miles with on her back. She snarls, a vicious sound, warning them to leave them be.

But to Derek's ears, it's weak, it's feeble. He knows he could beat the animal, he sees that now.

"Derek." Scott says, looking at the Alpha. It's more than obvious the animal is not in good health.

"Puddy Tat." The toddler in Scott's arms frowns, wiggling and making grabby hands at the dark feline.

"Derek, something's not right." Scott says, because the child wouldn't have the reaction if he were in trouble being around the animal.

Derek's brow furrows, and he sees this too.

The jaguar steps forward, and before Derek can counter, she collapses again, falling back down.

"Puddy Tat!" The boy cries out, his eyes filling with tears. "My Puddy Tat! My Puddy Tat!" He cries, trying his hardest to get away from Scott and to get over to the jaguar. " _Puddy!_ "

.

She wakes, very slow, in a haze.

Her throat stings, it's dry and sore. She's dehydrated from a lack of water during her long hike.

The feline's body aches, all over.

The only thing that feels familiar is the small hand rubbing between her ears.

She rubs her head against it, she knows it's the child, and she's glad he's safe and that he's with her again.

Deaton watches the action from the window in the door with an inqusitive face. He nods, like he's putting thoughts together and linking them up, before he looks at Derek and Scott.

"Where did you find it?" Deaton asks.

"Outside of town, deep in the woods." Derek tells him. "They were together."

Deaton nods again. He looks over at the animal again, crossing his arms over his chest.

"The child is in pretty good health, besides being sleep deprived, but the jaguar.. He's hurt."

"What can you do?" Scott asks the Vet.

"Nothing." Deaton shakes his head.

"N-Nothing?" Scott questions. He shares a confused look with Derek before he looks back at the older man. "You're a Vet, he's an animal. You have to help him, were-creature or not."

"I wouldn't be able to get close enough." Deaton elaborates. "He'd bite my hand off before I could even touch him."

"He's weak, we'll keep him down." Derek says.

"It doesn't work like that." Deaton shakes his head. "You'd only stress him, possibly make it worse."

"Then what do we do?" Derek asks, impatient and blunt.

Deaton just turns to him, giving him this look.

"Scott, try to go in there." Deaton says.

"What?" Scott asks.

"Try go in there." Deaton repeats.

"Okay, why?"

"Just do it."

"Um.. Okay.." The younger wolf puts his hand on the door handle, pushing it open.

Her eyes snap up, adrenaline coursing through her. She shoots up, her entire body objects to it. She slams herself into the door, pushing it closed again, making Scott jump back.

"Holy shit." Scott says, wide-eyed. He peeks through the window, finding the feline is panting, in pain, laying against the door.

The child moves over to her, and sits down in front of her, scratching between her ears again.

"We're not getting near that animal without losing a body part." Deaton concludes.

"And, uh, another thing? That's not a male." Scott points out, now that they can see the underside of the animal.

"It's female." Derek sees.

"You're right." Deaton says. "Well, that makes things even harder then."

"Why's that?" Scott asks.

"Mothers are very protective, especially of their young." Derek says, his eyes downcast. He knows this firsthand, from his own mother.

"He's right." Deaton says. "I don't think anything with a wolf's scent is getting into that room."

"What about you? You're human." Scott says.

"And male." Deaton says.

"So, what? We need a female human who doesn't seem threatening to a mother or child to go in there?" Scott asks. "Where are we gonna find someone like that who's willing to do this?"

Then Deaton looks at Derek, with this look.

"No." Derek shakes his head, putting it together. "No, there's no way."

"Oh.. Jessie." Scott realizes.

"No, not her." Derek declines.

"Derek-"

"I said, no!" He snaps, eyes turning red. "I'm not sending my sister in there with that _thing_ , it's not happening." He says firmly.

"Let's all calm down." Deaton advises, holding his hands up. "We'll figure something out."

Derek huffs a breath out his nose, gives the jaguar and the child one more look, then walks out of the animal clinic.

Jessie going in there?

 _Not happening_.

.

 _Later_

"No." Derek shakes his head.

"I can help." Jessie says, looking at him.

"I said, no." Derek says, looking back at her.

"I'm 16 years old, I can decide for myself whether I do this or not." She says.

"And I'm 22, I'm your guardian, and I still say _no_." He replies without missing a beat.

They turn away from each other, looking over at the room dividing the animal and themselves when there's a quiet knocking.

"Puddy Tat need wat'r." Comes the boy's voice.

Jessie steps forward but Derek grabs her arm, stepping out in front of her and walking over to the door. Jessie rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.

Derek looks out the window, looking down at the young boy. The jaguar's now moved over to where there's bags of dog food. She's taken to laying on them, making some kind of makeshift bed as opposed to the floor.

"Puddy need wat'r." The boy says, looking up at Derek with a worried frown.

"No one but Jessie is getting in the room." Deaton says.

Derek turns and looks at him with a scowl.

"No. It doesn't even make that much sense, I'm not going on a whim." He declines again.

"It makes perfect sense, Derek, and you know it." Jessie says.

Derek looks at her now, because there was more than a little attitude in her voice when she said that.

"I can go in there, I can make sure the child is okay, and check out the jaguar too." Jessie says.

"And if that jaguar tries to tear you to pieces, then what?" Derek asks.

"That's why you'll all be outside the door." Jessie says. "Just in case."

"And if we don't get in there fast enough?" Derek asks.

Jessie sighs.

"Okay, Derek. I won't do this then. I won't go in there, I won't take that risk." Jessie says, but you can hear the sarcasm in her voice. "But, then what? She sits in there, that child sits in there, and then what? If she's hurt, she could die. What if she hurts the kid because of that? Wounded animals do some crazy things." Jessie says. "If she hurts that kid, that's on us."

Derek exhales out his nose, giving her this look. They know why he's objective, because Jessie could get hurt.

"We'll be right here, Derek." Scott says, because Jessie's right.

Derek looks at him.

"Kid's gonna need to eat." Jessie throws in, seeing her brother's slowly giving in to the idea.

"That thing so much as growls and I'm coming in." Derek says, his way of agreeing.

Jessie gives him a small smile, and a grateful nod.

.

Jessie quietly closes the door behind her.

The jaguar's head comes up, eyes narrowing at her.

"She needed water, right?" Jessie says, looking at the young boy.

He nods.

Jessie, smartly, hands the bowl of water to the boy to give to the feline, and she watches Jessie like a hawk.

"Here, Puddy Tat." The boy says, putting it in front of her.

She looks at it appreciatively before lapping her tongue into it, her eyes still watching Jessie though.

Jessie glances at the wolves, nodding, to tell them it's going fine.

She moves a little closer to the two, and the jaguar stops drinking.

"Okay.. Here's where I stop." Jessie says, not coming any closer, kneeling down.

The feline slowly begins drinking again, still watching Jessie.

"You know.. Your leg's cut up pretty bad." Jessie says, looking back at the jaguar, because she knows there's a real girl in there.

The animal doesn't do anything to indicate she even heard that, she keeps drinking, still watching Jessie.

"I could look at it, if you want. I could check him over as well. I'm not gonna hurt you, or him." Jessie coaxes.

Jessie's heart leaps into her throat as the jaguar staggers back to it's feet. She backs up a little, and Derek's claws are already coming out, ready.

But the jaguar doesn't attack, it doesn't even advance on Jessie. She moves over to the boy, wrapping her body around him and sitting back down, closing him off from her.

I mean.. It's not a _NO!_ , but it's not a _Yes_ either.

"Okay.. Well.. What will you let me do?" Jessie asks her.

The jaguar blows a breath out her nose, then rests her head over the young boy's knees. His little hand comes up and he scratches between her ears again.

Okay..

So, Jessie needs to try a different approach.

"Hi." Jessie looks at the boy now.

"Hi." He says back, glancing at her, then looking at the large animal again.

"Can you tell me what happened to her leg? And why you were out in the woods?" Jessie asks him.

The jaguar raises her head again, snorting out a more angry breath out her nose.

Jessie looks over at Derek and Scott, for some kind of guidance.

Scott shakes his head, because that one was a _No_.

Jessie nods, looking back over at the two.

"Okay, well.. I'm gonna leave this here." Jessie says, placing a brown paper bag down beside her. "It's just food, for the both of you. It's safe, I promise." Jessie says, slowly standing up again.

"T'anks." The boy says.

Jessie gives him a small smile, then she slips back out the door again.

"Are you okay?" Derek asks her.

She doesn't say anything back, she just looks back in the room at the two again.

The boy curls up close the the large cat, tucking his face into her sleek, black fur.

The jaguar tightens it's body around him.

The bag is left there, untouched and not paid any mind.

"They'll investigate it when they're ready." Deaton tells Jessie.

Jessie looks at him and nods. She looks at her brother now.

"I'm fine." She says, before walking into the other room.

Derek frowns a little, because Jessie looks..disappointed.

"She wishes she could have done more." Scott says, seeing it too.

"She did the best she could." Derek says, before following after her.

.

 _That Night_

Derek's the first awake as the pack are staying over at the animal clinic for now, and he's at the window, checking on their..prisoners? Guests? Patients? What do they call them?

The jaguar investigates the bag, sniffing at it, circling it.

"It food." The boy tells her, like Jessie said.

When he reaches for it, the jaguar pushes his hand away with her snout. She's not ready to let him go into it. She wants to make sure it's 100% safe first.

And the boy doesn't try again, he allows her to finish.

She sniffs at it intently, studying each smell. She pushes it over with her paw, allowing the contents to fall out. She sniffs at them too, even though it's obvious what it is.

The jaguar catches the end of the banana in her teeth gently, and carries it to the boy, dropping it into his lap. She pushes it closer to him to show him it's for him.

The boy smiles, taking it into his hands and ripping into it eagerly.

Derek just watches, almost impressed by how the human and the jaguar communicate and how they are together.

She sniffs even more, pushing her muzzle into the bag. Once she's pushes past the wrapping, she finds a raw flank of beef. She pulls it out of the bag, dropping it to the floor with a loud, wet slap. She smells it, and accepts it, because she opens her mouth to bite it. But she stops.

The jaguar's eyes come up, spotting Derek.

Derek meets her eyes, not looking away.

She bares a little of her teeth, growling under her breath, her tail smacking against the floor, not in a playful way either. Weak or not, she heard how Derek spoke of her, the things he suggested. He's the one that decided to take the child away from her. Even if she was put back with him, she doesn't like that at all.

Derek's eyebrows drop, a glare coming to his face, his eyes slowly starting to shine red. He's an _Alpha_. He's not taking that from her.

"Puddy Tat."

The jaguar completely forgets about him like he's nothing when she hears the young boy's voice.

Derek blinks, his eyes becoming human green again.

The jaguar drags her meat over to the boy. She sits down beside him and starts to eat as he eats his banana.

"Majestic, isn't she?"

Derek turns around. He didn't realize Deaton was up too.

"Hmm." Derek gives as an answer.

"I've been thinking, maybe the boy is her's." Deaton says. "The way she looks after him, how she tends to him before herself, he must be her young."

"But she's.. A cat." Derek says.

"She's a girl too. You should remember that." Deaton says.

"Hmm." Derek says again. He looks back at the animal and the boy, and he finds her licking the boy's hair.

The young child laughs as she grooms him in her own feline way.

"She must be a mother, or maybe a sister. He's something important to her." Deaton says, watching them too now.

.

 _Later That Night_

The jaguar is becoming more and more restless, and increasingly weak as well as blood continues to seep slowly from the claw wound to her back leg and another wound further up the same leg.

She paces the room with a limp, feeling as is there's not enough air in here anymore.

She stops, looking up when the door's opened again. She remembers it's the same girl from yesterday, or maybe it was just earlier, the feline is losing track of time.

"I really gotta look at your leg." Jessie says, looking at her.

The feline looks down at it, seeing it looks worse. And that's when she notices the drops of blood on the floor from how she's been walking around. And bleeding on the floor, apparently.

"Bleedin'." Tyson frowns. "Look, bleedin'."

The jaguar looks at Tyson, then looks at Jessie.

She knows she's getting weaker, and she'll probably only get worse. And if she's weak, she can't protect Tyson.

When the jaguar doesn't move or anything, Jessie slowly advances towards it.

She gets the closest she's ever gotten to it, stopping in front of the animal.

"Okay.. Not scary at all.." Jessie mutter to herself, kneeling down.

The jaguar watches her with razor-like vision.

"I'm gonna, like..touch you now, okay?" Jessie says.

The jaguar doesn't move.

"Okay. Here we go." Jessie says. She grabs the wet rag and inches her hand forward, watching the jaguar closely.

She flinches back when it moves.

But the feline just lays down, so her wounded hind leg is of better view and reaching distance to the girl.

Jessie nods, calming herself again before she goes in again. She's watching the animal like a hawk as she very gently dabs at the blood around the two wounds, trying to clean them up a little.

"See? Everything's okay." Jessie rambles in the silence, trying to keep both the beast calm and herself calm too. "This might sting a little, but it'll be fine." She warns before pressing the rag over her one of the wounds with a little more pressure.

The jaguar's leg twitches a little, but other than that she stays still.

"I'm not gonna lie, this is gonna sting, a lot. But, it's gonna clean it out, stop you from getting an infection, okay?" Jessie says, grabbing another rag from the supplies Deaton gave her.

She tips antiseptic on the rag and the strong smell stings the feline's nose.

"It's okay." Tyson comforts, moving over to the two now to pet the jaguar's head, because he was sitting shyly in the corner. "I kiss the boo boos better." Tyson says.

Jessie gives a small smile and brings the rag to her wound.

And she was right, it stings. _Like hell_.

The jaguar squirms, pulling her leg back, getting to her feet, her whole body weak and swaying dizzily.

Jessie just watches, unsure what's going to happen.

Then the most unexpected thing does happen.

The jaguar can't help but give into her pains and weaknesses. She collapses onto the floor, barely conscious.

Before Jessie can get over to her, she stops, shocked in place.

The girl's fur starts to disappear, being replaced with sun-kissed skin.

And soon, a girl lays on the floor, a mess of long, black hair surrounding her.

Jessie rushes to find some kind of blanket or something. The one she finds reeks of dog, but it's all that's in here. She covers the girl's bare body with it.

The girl's eyes barely open enough to look at Jessie, a pale blue locking onto Jessie's face. Then she passes out, her eyes rolling back and closing, her body slumping against the floor.

"Deaton!" Jessie calls out.

.

.

 **What do we think so far, hmm? Things we like, things we don't like, things we want to see happen?**

 **Favourite! Follow! Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! I can't tell you how good it felt to come on here, after having a more on the bad side kind of day, and see the follows and favourites, and the lovely reviews! It's been awhile since I've posted but I still have loyal readers, and new readers too, and it's awesome! It's all deeply appreciated, trust me :)**

 **Tesla424 - Yay! Thanks, I'm so glad to hear that! :D**

 **Hawk-eye-33 - Thank you, I'm glad, and thanks for the explanation, it tells me what I'm doing well :) Her name's just Danny, short for nothing :) Those answers will be answered in this chapter! Yay, no cringe-worthy mistakes!**

 **Nati1729 - Thank you! Hehe, we will see! I'm purposely not revealing her name just yet :P**

.

 _Wednesday 11th May_

The girl wakes to many voices, too many voices, voices she doesn't really know.

"-were-jaguar, really?"

"-evolved?"

She stirs, their voices dying down. Her eyes flutter open, revealing that pale blue again.

"You had us worried there." Deaton says, looking at her.

She sits up quickly, holding the blanket to her naked body tightly. Her eyes scan the room, frantically searching for the boy.

"Ty.. Tyson?" She finds her human vocal chords are more than a little rusty. "Where.."

"He's here, he's fine." Scott says, moving so the toddler can dart over and climb up onto the bed the girl's on.

When the toddler struggles, Scott moves to help.

The girl lets out a small growl, gripping the back of Tyson's shirt and lifting him up onto the bed, much like a mother feline does with her mouth to her cubs. And yes, the jaguar has carried this boy around in her mouth before, it has happened.

Tyson hugs her tightly, shaking with fear. He doesn't know what's happening, all he knows is suddenly the girl wasn't moving, and he was crying his eyes out, frightened, strangers all around him.

"Some space, please." Deaton says, motioning with his hand for the pack to step back.

The girl's blue eyes dart between each of them skeptically as she clutches Tyson close. She doesn't like the strangers either. She doesn't know what's going to happen.

"What's your name?" Deaton asks her, keeping himself calm and even as not to startle the girl who's looking around like she's looking for the safest escape route.

She doesn't answer him.

Deaton looks at the pack again, nodding for them to leave.

"Close the door on your way out." He says in dismissal, looking back at the unknown girl now.

"Okay. I'll get her some clothes." Jessie nods, heading for the door.

The others follow, they know that wasn't a suggestion by Deaton.

Derek watches the girl as he leaves the room, and she meets his eyes evenly, not liking how he seems to challenge her with every look or word. But, as the Alpha, Derek is more than a little skeptical of this new creature, girl, whatever. He has a town, a pack, to protect. He _has_ to be skeptical. If he isn't cautious, people will die, well.. _more_ people will die.

The door closes, leaving only Deaton in the room with the girl and toddler.

"What's your name?" He tries again.

The girl chews on the decision on whether to answer or not for a few seconds.

"Ashlyn." She asnwers.

"Ashlyn." Deaton nods. "My name is Deaton, I'm this pack's..adviser." He chooses his words carefully. "I won't hurt you or Tyson, neither will they. You have my word."

"Okay." Ashlyn says, very unsure to if she can believe that. In fact, she doesn't believe it, because she's seen what people can do, she's seen what animals will do.

"Is Tyson your son?"

Ashlyn shakes her head.

"..nephew." She answers hesitantly, still skeptical to answering these questions.

"Where are his parents?" Deaton asks.

Ashlyn stays quiet. She's not going to talk about that.

"Why were you in the woods? Why were you hurt?" He asks.

Ashlyn stays quiet again. She doesn't know these people. They're strangers. She's not telling him what happened.

Deaton sees she's not going to answer, and he doesn't push her because he's not an idiot. He isn't looking to lose an arm.

"Ashlyn, do you have someone you can call? Is there somewhere you and Tyson can go?" Deaton asks her, curious to see what this girl is about when she's human.

Ashlyn swallows heavily, and she shakes her head.

"No." She says, somewhat sadly.

"That's okay, we'll figure that out later." Deaton says. "For now, you two should rest. Jessie will bring you some clothes, and we'll get you something to eat to get your strength back. But, your leg.. I'll have to finish cleaning it up." He says. "Or you can do it yourself."

"Okay." Ashlyn says again. "I'll do it." She says. She's confused, she's confused to all of this, to how she got here in the first place since she remembers being in the woods. She's confused as to why this man's trying to help her when he doesn't even know her. But that makes her even more cautious, because eventually, he's going to want something in return, they always do. And it usually isn't good.

But Ashlyn's soon going to learn that this isn't the wild, and things are different here and different with this pack. She's soon going to remember her pre-jaguar life, and how things work when you're human.

"If you need anything, we'll be in the next room." Deaton says, moving towards the door.

Ashlyn nods and he disappears, leaving her and Tyson alone once again.

"It's okay." Ashlyn says, rubbing Tyson's back. "It's okay, Ty."

What the hell does she do now?

.

 _Later_

"What are you doing, Deaton?" Derek asks the Vet.

"She's hurt, her leg's bad. I'm a Vet, she's an animal, at least part animal. I'm doing my job." Deaton says to the Alpha.

"We don't know her, she could be a threat." Derek says.

"Derek's right." Isaac says. "We don't know this girl, we don't know where she came from."

"That's not fair. She's weak, she could get hurt out there." Danny says, looking at Isaac and Derek with frowns, a little annoyed they're thinking of casting her out like that. They don't know enough to do that to her.

"She's hurt. She's not a threat to anyone." Deaton says. "She's just protecting her nephew."

"Nephew?" Jessie questions.

"The boy, he's her nephew, she told me."

"What else did she tell you?" Scott asks.

"Not much." Deaton says. "Her name is Ashlyn, and they don't have anyone else." He tells them.

"She's an omega." Stiles realizes.

"Looks like it." Deaton nods.

Jessie looks at her older brother with this look.

Derek shakes his head before she can even open her mouth to speak, already knowing what she's thinking.

Jessie sighs, sitting down in a waiting chair.

"I was with her and I came out of there fine. She's not dangerous." Jessie says, looking up at them up. She's been the closest to her, and she didn't hurt Jessie. "She's just wounded and looking after her family, that's all."

"She's a stranger." Stiles says. "But.. That doesn't mean she's here to cause any harm."

"Exactly. Think about it, you found her, she didn't find you." Jessie says, looking at Scott and Derek now. "She wasn't coming after one of us, she wasn't even in our town."

"That doesn't mean we can trust her." Derek says, crossing his arms over his chest. "She looked like she went three rounds with some other _thing_ , and we don't know why."

"That is an important detail." Deaton nods, seeing both sides of it. "But she's not opening up about it."

"Then I'm definitely not opening this pack to her." Derek says.

"Derek-" Jessie tries.

"I said, no." Derek stops her. He knows that's what Jessie was thinking, and he was right.

Jessie sighs in frustration, standing up again, grabbing the clothes she brought back. She walks past all of them, going into the other room.

Ashlyn snaps awake, her eyes darting up to the intruder.

"It's just me." Jessie says, holding a hand up. "I brought you these." She says, slowly walking to the bed, showing her the clothes like some kind of peace offering. "They were my big sister's so..I hope they fit." Jessie says, placing them on the bed.

Ashlyn nods, watching the girl back up towards the door again.

"Hey, um.."

Jessie looks at her again.

"The clothes.. Uh.."

"You're welcome." Jessie nods, answering her struggled response before walking out.

.

 _That Night_

Jessie wakes, having fallen asleep on the sofa. Her first thought is of the girl and the toddler still camped out at the animal clinic. They've all gone home, but she's still there, her and that child. It can't be that comfortable.

She gets up off the sofa and seeks out her brother. She thought about it for a long time last night, and she's come to an conclusion that she thinks will help.

"Hey, can we talk?" Jessie walks up to her brother, asking. "Alone, like in private?"

Derek nods slowly, because when has a woman saying that ever been a good thing? He leads her down the hall to his bedroom, because it doesn't get much more private than that, not even Isaac would waltz in without asking.

"What's going on?" He asks her, sitting down on the end of his bed, his elbows on his knees, looking at her.

Jessie pulls the chair out from his desk, sitting on it backwards.

"I was up most the night, thinking about Ashlyn and Tyson." Jessie says. "They can't stay at Deaton's forever, and Deaton said she had no one, which means she has nowhere to go." She says. "Deaton spoke with her again and.. She said it's been over 2 years since she was human. _2 years_ , Derek. And on top of that, she spent her whole life with a were-jaguar pack, some in human form, some in jaguar form. All she knows is that life."

Derek is taken back by that. He thought this would be bad. Well, he didn't really know what to expect, but this was not either.

"So.." Derek doesn't know where she's going with this either.

"Well.. We have the office space upstairs-"

"Jessie." Derek sighs, realizing. He can admire her kind heart though.

"C'mon, Derek. You don't even use it. Look." She says, pointing at where most of the books are on his desk, with papers, mythology articles and what not. "I bet you haven't even been in there in a couple weeks." She says.

Derek doesn't say anything, because she's right.

"I bet she barely remembers what it's like to be human. She won't even really know what it's like to just be, like, a normal human being and walk around with other human beings, I don't know. Derek, we can't expect her to just go out and get a job to get a house for them to live in."

"We don't know this girl. She's not staying with us." Derek says.

"She has a child with her." Jessie reminds him. "He's a _toddler_."

Derek just continues looking at his younger sister like he couldn't care less about the child. And it makes Jessie mad. They lost the toddler close to them in the fire, their baby sister, so Jessie doesn't understand how he can just sit there and act like he doesn't care what happens to this one.

"I know you're not this cold-hearted."

"I'm not being cold-hearted, I'm being smart." Derek says.

"No, you're not." Jessie shakes her head. "You're being selfish-"

"I'm trying to keep you safe."

"I know that. But this girl, she.. She has _nothing_. We can't send her out there, we can't. We just can't. You don't want too, I know you don't."

"What are you asking me to do, Jessie?" He asks her.

"I want you to clean out that room and give it to Ashlyn and Tyson, to give them a chance, to give them some sense of pack even if it's not permanent. You know, I'm asking, or..whatever." She says.

Derek doesn't say anything, he just looks at her, mulling it over.

Jessie rests her chin on the top of the chair, widening her eyes a little, pouting her lips just a little too.

"Please?" She says, softer.

Derek narrows his eyes. Jessie used to coax him into bringing home ice-cream or sweets with that look. Though, she hasn't pulled it out since the fire. But, she really believes doing this for Ashlyn and Tyson is the right thing to do, so by any means necessary.

Derek exhales through his nose.

"Please?" Jessie asks again, in a sweet voice, dragging the word out.

Derek can admit it's not the _worst_ idea in the world. It's up there, but it isn't the absolute worst.

"Derek, c'mon. This is the _right_ thing to do, you know it. Just.. Just give it a try? For me? Please?"

.

.

 **I think we all know Derek's answer :P**

 **Favourite! Follow! Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Attention! Very important note!**

 **I've made a mistake in chapter 1, which I have gone back and fixed. Ashlyn is not a McCall, she's a stranger to them all. I repeat, she is _not_ a McCall! So sorry for that, read on!**

 **TheHungryRainbow - It's good to see another loyal reader again :) Yes, definitely. But I think it's adorable :3**

 **Hawk-eye-33 - Yes, sometimes Ash's are purple, but they're blue in this one. Hehe, if you read the note I put up above this, then you know I made a mistake (so sorry!), she's a Williams, a stranger. You'll learn more about little Tyson :) Thank you so much, that's all very sweet :)**

 **Guest - Thanks :)**

 **Tesla424 - More loyal readers coming back to read my newer fics! Thank you :) Again, I made a mistake which I've fixed, sorry! She's a stranger to them all, I'm just so used to writing Ashlyn as a McCall and their sister, but I've gone on a different path for this fic :)**

.

 _Thursday 12th May - Morning_

Ashlyn follows Jessie through the house, Tyson's hand in hers.

She's more than skeptical about this, about this idea, about all of this, but she has a sense of trust with the youngest Hale only, and really.. Jessie's right, they have nothing, they have no one, they have nowhere to go.

This is their only option.

Well.. If they want to survive at least.

"Hey, you okay?" Jessie asks when the girl stumbles a little.

"Yeah.." Ashlyn nods, her head spinning, but she regains her grounding. "Just.. Tired." She lies.

"Okay, well, here we are." Jessie says. "This is the spare room. Oh.. I mean, it's your's and Tyson's room." Jessie shows, opening the door at the end of the hall.

Ashlyn looks inside, seeing two beds tidily made in a large clean room with white walls and dark grey carpeting. She looks at Jessie as Tyson goes inside, climbing onto one of the beds he's deeming as his own.

"You did this?" Ashlyn asks her.

"Me and Isaac." Jessie nods. "We wanted you two to feel..comfortable. Safe."

 _Safe_.

Ashlyn isn't sure she can ever feel that again.

"The room, the clothes.." Ashlyn says. "Thank you." The words are foreign, she hasn't used them in a long time, but it feels right to use them now.

"You're welcome." Jessie says. "Well.. Make yourself at home and I'll check in a little later, once I'm home from school." She says.

Ashlyn nods and Jessie gives a warm smile before leaving the two to theirs.

She steps into the room, looking around it.

"Is this new home?" Tyson asks, laying on his stomach on one of the beds.

"For now..yeah." Ashlyn nods. She isn't sure how she feels about that. She's grateful for a roof over her head, of course she is. But home? _Home_? Home was their pack's den. But that's not an option anymore. The only option she has is here, with half of this pack, with an Alpha werewolf. And she still doesn't know if she's okay with it or not.

.

 _That Afternoon_

Isaac and Jessie are in the living room, looking at a pamphlet for Mexican food. It's not long after school and both teenagers' stomachs are rumbling.

"Dude, we have to get churros. There's no doubt about that." Jessie says.

"I want that rice stuff too, it sounds nice." Isaac says, pointing out the small black and white picture of the dish with a little description. "Paper, scissors, rock for who pays?"

"Derek's in the shower, I'll slip his card from his wallet, I'm sure he won't mind." Jessie says.

"Yeah, and I'm sure you won't mind him killing you." Isaac says, raising his eyebrows.

Jessie chuckles. If Derek only had a soft spot for one thing in the entire world, it'd be Jessie, it'd be his baby sister, it'd be the only family he has left.

Isaac and Jessie look up as Ashlyn silently slips out the back door to the porch on her own. She's quiet, so quiet. She doesn't say much. She's been in that room all day, too anxious to come out, too anxious to bump into anyone and have to make conversation or anything. But, right now, she needs air.

Ashlyn rubs her temples. Her head's pounding, she doesn't know what it is. She feels ill as well, like she wants to be sick. She brushes it off to being stressed in a new environment and around new people and _wolves_ as opposed to her pack of jaguars. Yeah, it must be that.

"Is she okay?" Isaac asks Jessie.

"I.. I don't know." Jessie says. "I don't know what happened to them while they were out there. I'm gonna go check on her." She says, standing up.

She walks out the back too, leaving Isaac in the living room alone. She slowly approaches the she-jaguar, not wanting to startle her or anything.

But Ashlyn's head turns in the slightest, hearing light footsteps approaching her.

"Hey." Jessie says, because she saw the movement, she knows Ashlyn knows she's there. "Me and Isaac are gonna order Mexican, you want something?" Jessie asks her. "They have meat dishes, chicken and stuff." She says, because she knows the girl's very used to hunting down animals and eating raw meat in her jaguar form.

"No thanks." Ashlyn shakes her head.

"What about Chinese? I'm sure there's an Indian place in town too, if you prefer that." Jessie offers. "They have this really nice beef dish." She tries to coax, because she knows of all meat, beef is Ashlyn's most preferred.

Okay.. So, maybe Jessie did some research on Jaguar's last night. She couldn't help herself, she wanted to know what she just pulled the pack into. She wanted to help make Ashlyn more comfortable as well. Toddlers, Jessie can deal with, but were-jaguars only very recently turned human after 2 years..that's a little different.

"I'm fine." Ashlyn says.

"Ashlyn.. You should really eat." Jessie says, sounding more concerned now. She knows Ashlyn hasn't eaten since she got here.

Ashlyn actually looks at her now, she hears real care in the younger girl's voice and sees it by the look on her face.

"I'm not hungry." She says.

The older girl looks back over the lawn, focusing on the sounds of the birds chirping in the trees, the insects scattering through the grass. And she checks in on Tyson's heartbeat and his breathing. He's still sound asleep upstairs just like she left him. Her eyes close for a second when she feels that stabbing pain in her head again.

Jessie stands there, unsure what else to say, or what to do.

"Do you think Tyson would want something?" She asks the other girl.

"He's sleeping." Ashlyn says.

"Okay." Jessie sighs. She turns around and walks back inside, because it seems that's the best she's going to get from the other girl. At least she tried, right?

She goes back into the living room to Isaac, falling down onto the sofa with him again.

"Mexican it is." She decides.

"And Ashlyn?" Isaac asks.

"No." Jessie shakes her head with a soft sigh. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

.

 _That Evening_

Isaac's passing her room later on, but stops.

Ashlyn stands in front of the mirror, just looking at herself, like she's never seen her own reflection before.

"Hey.." He knocks on the open door lightly.

Ashlyn looks over at him, a little surprised to the intrusion. Jessie's really the only one who makes an effort to talk to her.

"You okay?" He asks her.

Ashlyn nods, and looks back at her reflection with a frown. She looks at her legs, twisting to look at her butt. She looks at her hips, lifts her shirt a little to look at her stomach. She looks at her chest and her arms, and then her face.

"You want me to send Jessie up or something?" Isaac asks her, still in the doorway. Maybe a girl could help her out right now..not that Isaac understands what's happening right now. No, he doesn't understand what she's doing at all.

"No, just.." Ashlyn shakes her head.

"Is something wrong?"

Derek comes out of his room, seeing Isaac peeking into Ashlyn's room. He listens in, but he doesn't move closer.

"I barely remember what I look like." She says, looking at her face again. "I'm so used to seeing.."

"A jaguar?" Isaac fills in.

"Yeah." Ashlyn nods.

Derek hears that twang of sadness in her voice. He's more than sure she misses the life she used to have, not that any of them know why she doesn't have it anymore, they don't know why she can't continue in the wild, because Ashlyn is hiding more secrets than they think.

"Well.. If it means anything to you, your human form is just as pretty as your jaguar form." He says, and he's not flirting or anything, he's trying to help, and spilling some truth too.

"Thanks." She says quietly. She's becoming more comfortable with Isaac too. Ashlyn can see he's harmless, and he's trying to help her just like Jessie is. She's still cautious, definitely, even with Jessie, but she's getting better because the two did make this room up for her which is a big thing, a commendable thing.

Then there's Derek..

Isaac gives a small smile and pushes off the doorframe, continuing down the stairs.

Derek starts walking too, slowing at Ashlyn's door. He can't help but glance in.

The girl looks down at her hands, at her fingers, at her fingernails. She's used to seeing strong, black paws covered with dirt or animal blood, razor-sharp claws too.

Derek doesn't dwell, he keeps walking. But he hears what passes her lips.

"This feels so wrong." She mutters to herself with a sigh, sitting down on the bed. "This _is_ wrong."

.

Once Tyson's asleep again, for the night, Ashlyn pulls the door shut and goes into the bathroom.

With all the shifting, and with being animal for so long where they would just bathe in the river, Ashlyn knows she must kind of..smell.

So, she decides to take a hot shower, to wash away those smells, to wash away the conflicted feelings she has, even if only for a moment, just let them be sucked down the drain.

She turns the shower on, taking a few moments to find a temperature she likes. She gets undressed and steps under the water. It's actually the best she's felt all day. She exhales softly, just letting the water pelt over her shoulders and back. One thing about living in the wild, a nice shower with good water pressure wasn't exactly a luxury she had access too. It's more than a little intoxicating.

She lets time drag on, telling herself she can't always do this, she can't spend so long in here, and that she should get out, but her feet won't budge, her body refuses to move.

 _._

Jessie knocks on Isaac's bedroom door before walking in.

Isaac looks up from the papers he's working on.

"Hey." Jessie says, shutting his door again. "What're you doing?" She sits down on his bed.

"English. I'm behind." Isaac says.

"That's what I came to ask you about. Danny wanted to know if you wanted to study with me and her tomorrow. Scott and Stiles are going to see a movie so they won't be around, but you can still come with us?" Jessie says.

"You and Danny?" Isaac asks.

"Yeah, me and Danny." Jessie nods. "Why, is that a problem?"

"No." Isaac shakes his head quickly.

 _Quite the opposite actually._

"Okay.." Jessie says, like she's a little confused. "So, one of us will text you tomorrow if we don't see you, all right?"

"Yeah, okay." Isaac nods.

Jessie yawns into her hand and she gets to her feet again.

"G'night, Isaac." Jessie says.

"Night." Isaac says, and his bedroom door is shut again. The beta stops, staring down at his papers but paying them no mind.

Danny _wants_ him to study with her? With her _and Jessie_ , but with her too?

A small smile comes to Isaac's face as he continues his work.

Jessie passes Derek's room, and stops. She sees him working on something at his desk, so she walks in.

"Yeah?" Derek says, without turning to her, hearing her light footsteps.

Jessie closes his door.

Derek turns around now, he can tell Jessie wants to speak with him.

"What is it?" He asks her.

"Have you spoken to Ashlyn since she got here?" Jessie asks, sitting on the end of his bed, crossing her legs and settling her hands in her lap.

"No."

"Why not?"

"I'm busy, Jessie. So, if that's all you came to say then-"

"You're going to have to talk to her." Jessie interrupts. "You can't be sour about this forever."

"I can be whatever I want. I'm _only_ doing this because you wanted me too, because you all but begged me too." He reminds her.

"That's not true." Jessie shakes her head.

"It is."

"You'd really cast them back out into the wild if I didn't convince you to do otherwise?" Jessie asks. "You wouldn't. I know you, and I know you wouldn't do that to a girl and a toddler."

Derek exhales out his nose. Why must his sister always give him these..lectures, or pep talks, or whatever she thinks of them as?

Why? Because she likes to remind her brother of who he is, who he _really_ is under all his stone-face, guarded crap.

She knows what he's really like. And she doesn't want him to forget it. She watched him lose himself after the fire, and it was horrible. He's slowly, very, very slowly returning to his old self, _very_ slowly. Jessie won't ever let him slip away again.

"I don't trust her." Derek says. "I don't know her. Maybe.. Maybe I wouldn't want them left out there, bleeding and weak-" Because even he couldn't _really_ wish that upon a woman and a child. "-but I _do_ know that I don't really want her here."

"Well, right now, it's the only opinion." Jessie says. "And I think you need to get past whatever your problem really is."

"I told you what my problem is." He says. "I. Do. Not. Trust. Her." He says slowly.

Jessie dishes him a deadpan look, because she doesn't like it when he acts like she's stupid.

"You don't trust anyone, that's the problem." She says. "I mean.. Do you even trust me, Derek?"

"Don't be an idiot, Jessie. Of course I trust you, you're my sister." He says.

"Then have some faith in _my_ trust. I _d_ _on't_ think she's dangerous. I _don't_ think she's going to hurt us. I _do_ think that's she alone, she and Tyson, she's hurt, and she's weak right now." Jessie says.

Derek looks around the room, like a teenager getting lectured by their parents when they really don't want to hear it.

"Right now, we're all they have and I think it'd be nice if you made a little bit of effort to at least acknowledge their presence. Okay? That's all I'm saying. Be sour if you wanna be sour. Be mad at me, I don't care. Just don't take it out on them, please." Jessie says. Jessie gets off his bed, getting to her feet. "Goodnight." She walks out of the room.

Derek rubs his hand down his face.

Jessie is just like their mother in that way, open to show kindness to anyone, even when they may not deserve it.

More so, Jessie reminds him of Laura. She painfully reminds him of Laura, but it's a good pain.

Derek stands up and closes his bedroom door. He flicks the light off, engulfing him in darkness, his younger sister's words ringing through his head.

.

.

 **Hmm.. Isaac's got a little crush maybe?**

 **Favourite! Follow! Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hawk-eye-33 - Oh! I will give it a read :) Thanks :) Yes, I think Isaac may have a little crush there :P Yes, me too, it's why I made that mistake, hehe! Yes, more Danny to come! I'd say Disaac too :) Thanks so much, again! Oh, cool! I have to say, my older fics make me cringe sometimes because of the grammar, the spelling and the plotlines always seem to go bad too, but if you enjoy it then good :)**

 **Tesla424 - Yes, I thought so too :) I'm the same :P I totally understand!**

 **Just a little side note, for those of you who read my 'The Call Of Home' one-shot. I am thinking of doing another chapter, not to make it into a story, but just to add another chapter. Good idea, yes, no?**

.

 _Friday 13th May - Morning_

When she wakes up, Ashlyn knows she's put it off long enough, because her stomach's doing little angry flips.

 _She needs to eat_.

She shifts back into her human form, finding an outfit, compliments of Jessie doing a little shopping on the sly and donating some of Laura's old clothes too, to get dressed into. She gently wakes Tyson, lifting him up. She quietly ventures out of the bedroom, going downstairs.

Everyone else is already awake. There's school bags on the counters, textbooks spilling out of them. Jessie laughs behind a glass of orange juice about something Isaac just said. Derek reads a newspaper, his eyebrows pulled into a frown, or maybe that's just his resting face, Ashlyn isn't sure yet.

Jessie looks over at her, giving her a small smile.

"Good morning." She says, attracting the other two males to look at her as well.

Ashlyn gives a nod, looking down, because she doesn't like how she's suddenly in the spotlight.

Jessie nudges her brother under the table, giving him 'say something to her' eyebrows.

Derek ignores his sister, taking another drink from his coffee.

"Derek.." Jessie says quietly. "Stop being sour."

"We already went through this." Derek says, just as quiet. "So stop talking about it."

"You're a real asshole sometimes." Jessie says to him. She gets out of her seat before Derek can pull her up about her language. "Here, I'll fix you and Tyson something to eat." Jessie says, looking at Ashlyn.

Ashlyn just watches her, watches as she brings out two bowls, one small, one big. She fills them with corn flakes and tops them up with milk.

"C'mon." Jessie puts the bowls down on the table, bringing spoons over too. "I know it's not a kicking deer, but you'll like it. Trust me."

Ashlyn's surprised, Jessie just did all of that for her without so much as second guessing herself.

"Thanks."

The word is mumbled, but Jessie hears it.

"You're welcome." Jessie says. She takes her seat back beside her brother, bringing her glass of orange juice back to her lips. She can feel Derek looking at her. "What?" She asks, turning to look at him.

"Watch your language." He says.

"Sure thing, _Dad_." She says, bringing her drink back to her lips again.

Derek rolls his eyes.

Jessie looks at him again, gaging how mad he really is. And he isn't that mad.

"Joking, Derek." She says, just in case.

He glances at her.

"Smile more, Sourwolf." She says, nudging him.

Derek hates that Stiles decided he'd make that a 'thing'. He looks back at the newspaper, but Jessie chuckles, because he can't really stay mad at her.

Ashlyn sits down, settling Tyson in the chair beside her.

He eagerly takes the spoon into his hand and starts eating.

Ashlyn can feel them all looking at her, so she looks up.

Jessie and Isaac both look down at their own food, but Derek doesn't avoid her gaze. Ashlyn doesn't know if she dislikes or appreciates the Alpha's hard-headedness.

Ashlyn ignores it for now though, and she looks at her own bowl. She hasn't eaten food like this before, cereal. And for her two years as a jaguar, her diet consisted of raw meat and maybe a plant or two, and that's all. This is..odd, for her. All of this is odd.

She sniffs at a spoonful of the cereal, before she puts it into her mouth. She hesitates, chewing it very slowly, her tongue unsure what it's tasting. It certainly isn't meat.

And they can see that too, because when the two teens peek at her subtly, her brow's pulled into a frown, an unsure frown.

But alas, the mouthful is swallowed and it quenches some of that pained hunger she was feeling. And that she can appreciate, that and the fact that Tyson is scoffing down his like it's his last meal.

She manages another few mouthfuls before the smells in the atmosphere around her changes. She looks up, at Derek.

He frowns, reading the front page of the newspaper.

 _Mysterious Animal Attack Claims Another Life_

The wolf stiffens, and Jessie notices.

"Derek?" She says. When he doesn't answer her, because he's reading the article that made front page this morning, Isaac looks up at him. It's not like him to ignore her, like that not her, maybe Stiles, but not Jessie, not when she sounds worried.

Derek drops the paper to the table, still looking down at it.

Jessie leans over the table, looking down at the paper, reading it too.

"An animal attack?" Jessie asks, screwing her face up. Yeah, they've heard that one before. "Another one?"

"Another _murder_." Derek corrects pensively. "This thing killed another person. Some older guy."

Ashlyn tenses, her whole body stiffening.

Derek looks over at her now.

She frowns down at her food, suddenly having no appetite at all.

"Ashlyn, what's wrong?" Jessie asks, seeing there's something wrong with the girl as well.

She doesn't say anything, and she doesn't look at them. Really, the only reason she stays at the table is because Tyson's still eating.

Jessie looks at Derek with a concerned frown.

It's because no one knows the truth yet, because Ashlyn isn't ready to confide that to them.

She exhales slowly, feeling a woozy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Anger, sorrow, _hurt_. Yeah, it must be that.

She says nothing to them, and doesn't keep eating.

And they let it go, because she's not budging.

.

 _Later_

"What was that this morning?"

Ashlyn sits out on the back porch, the sun's out, and Tyson's playing in the yard, rolling in the grass. She looks up when she hears his voice speaking to her for the first time since she got here. She doesn't look at him though.

Derek walks over to her, slowly walking down the stairs, watching the girl.

"Do you know something about these murders?" He asks, stopping in front of her, his arms crossed over his chest.

Ashlyn's eyes come up, settling on the man that stands before her. Her brow is pulled into a tight frown.

"Is that why you clammed up at this morning?"

She shakes her head, but doesn't speak.

Even with Jessie lecturing him, with him asking her questions, she won't speak.

Derek looks behind him, looking over at where Tyson is.

Ashlyn looks at Tyson too, then back at Derek. She watches every muscle in his body, making sure he doesn't try to advance on Tyson. Just like Derek doesn't towards her, Ashlyn doesn't trust him either. She can never seem to figure what he's thinking or what he's feeling. He's unpredictable, and to Ashlyn, that can be dangerous. She doesn't like it. She doesn't understand him, and she doesn't like the uncertainty.

Derek looks away from the toddler, who's intently watching a butterfly fly around him, and looks back at Ashlyn. He studies her, trying to figure her out, which he can't seem to do either.

She doesn't look away, she meets his eyes, doing the exact same thing he's doing to her back to him.

They don't trust each other, or really like each other at that, that much is clear.

"At some point, you're not gonna be able to hide your past." Derek says.

Ashlyn's eyes narrow, because he shouldn't be able to tell she's hiding her past. But Derek knows, he sees it, because he hides his and Jessie's past from a lot more people than just one.

"At some point, we're all gonna find out who you really are." He says. He's more than curious, and he's far more than skeptical too.

"I look forward to it, _wolf_." She finally does speak.

Derek knows she doesn't like or trust him, and he knows she's heard the things he's said about her like back at the clinic. So, he doesn't really blame her for how she is with him. Just like she doesn't blame him for how he is with her, he's skeptical, and she can relate.

Derek looks at her for a few more seconds, before he walks away, going back inside.

Ashlyn's eyes follow him until he's out of sight. She then stands and goes over to Tyson, kneeling down beside him.

"Ash, look." Tyson points to the butterfly, his eyes wide and fascinated. But then he notices the look on her face. "Wha's wrong?" Tyson asks her.

"Don't worry about it." Ashlyn tells him, brushing her hand down his hair. She glances back towards the house, seeing Derek inside. Her eyes narrow, before she focuses her attention back on Tyson. "Auntie will handle it."

.

 _That Afternoon_

"It's Friday the 13th, you know?" Danny says, catching up to Isaac.

Isaac turns to face her, slowing his pace a little.

"You believe in that hoodoo, voodoo stuff?" Isaac asks her.

"I don't know. I mean, why couldn't it be true, you know? We've got werewolves, so why couldn't that be real?" Danny shrugs.

"I guess you have a point." Isaac nods.

"You guess? So, you think I'm full of crap?" Danny asks, a smile pulling at her lips.

 _She doesn't realize what that smile does to Isaac_.

"No, I'd never think that about you." Isaac says, playfully.

"Oh, screw you, Wolf Boy." Danny smacks his arm lightly.

Isaac chuckles a little, that cute little smile coming out.

 _He doesn't realize what that smile does to Danny._

"So, when do I get to properly meet your new housemate?" Danny asks him. "From what Jessie's said, she sounds..interesting."

"It's early days, she's still settling in. Maybe not just yet. But soon." Isaac says.

"Okay." Danny nods.

They look away from each other when footsteps run over to them.

"Hey, guys." Jessie says, stopping in front of them. "Listen, I got detention, I can't study today." She frowns.

"Detention? For what?" Isaac asks.

"Long story." Jessie brushes it off.

"Derek's gonna kill you if he finds out."

"That's why he won't find out, Isaac." Jessie smirks. "But you two go ahead, we'll do it another time together." She says. "Okay, I have to go, I can't be late. Bye!" And she's off again.

She throws Danny a wink, running towards her classroom.

Danny turns back to Isaac.

"Well.. Is that okay with you? If it's just us?" Danny asks him, a little nervous.

Isaac looks down at the shorter girl and nods.

"Yeah." He says, this light, bubbly feeling building in the pit of his stomach. "C'mon."

As they're walking towards the library together, Danny's phone buzzes with a text message from Jessie.

 _'You owe me! Use this time wisely, young grasshopper :P X'_

Danny chuckles, putting her phone away again.

She knew she picked the right best friend.

.

"I can't believe Jessie got detention." Isaac says. "It's been like a month since she got in trouble, Derek's gonna kick her ass."

"Probably." Danny says, amused, and grateful because her best friend took that risk so Danny and Isaac could be alone, like _alone_ alone. There's some other students in the library, but away from them. There's no Scott here, no Stiles, no one. It's just them. "So, uh.. What are we working on?" She asks him.

"What do you need to work on?" Isaac asks her.

"I'm a little confused with Chemistry." She says.

"I'm confused with English, but I can help you with Chemistry." He offers. He feels his heart thumping against his ribs. "We could..be lab partners, you know, since we all swap around next week. Just.. If you wanted too." He stutters a little.

"Yeah, that'd be good." Danny nods, butterflies swarming her stomach. "I can help you with English too, we could, like..come here some break times or study periods and work through some things." She says.

"Yeah." Isaac nods.

"Okay, cool." Danny smiles a little.

They look at each other and neither says anything.

Danny's phone buzzes again, snapping them out of it.

 _'What's happening? I need details! X'_

Danny ignores the text, putting her phone on silent and slipping it into her bag.

 _Not right now, Jess_ \- Danny thinks to herself.

"Well, Chem or English first?" Danny asks, looking at Isaac again.

"Ladies first, we'll look at Chem." Isaac says.

Danny looks down as she gets her textbook out, her smile getting bigger.

 _God, she's got it bad_.

.

 _That Night_

"Stop asking." Derek cuts Jessie off.

"Fine." Jessie sighs. "So.. You talk to Ashlyn yet?" She asks another question.

"As a matter of fact, I did." He tells her.

"Really?" A smile comes to her face. "See? Wasn't so hard, right?"

"It wasn't exactly a friendly conversation, Jessie." Derek corrects.

"What? Oh, Derek." She sighs. "I just said to make an effort, not rip her head off. Is that why I haven't seen her all day?"

"Relax. It wasn't bad either." Derek stops her.

"Oh.."

"I just don't think we're ever going to get along."

"Give it some time." Jessie says.

"No, Jessie, I don't think time is going to help." He shakes his head.

"Heh. We'll see." She smiles a little, mischievously. "Anyway.. Like I was asking before, _please_ drop me off." Jessie says, again, _for the millionth time_.

"No. It's not safe, you're staying home tonight." Derek shakes head, again.

"I need to talk to Danny." Jessie says.

"About what? You already saw her today." Derek brushes it off.

"About.. _girl_ stuff." Jessie says, crossing her arms over her chest. "You wouldn't get it."

Derek looks up from his book, looking at her.

What the hell does that mean? No, actually, don't answer that. He doesn't think he really wants to know.

"And it can't wait." Jessie adds. "So.. _Please_ take me over to Danny's." She says again. "Or I'll walk."

"You're not walking." Derek says without missing a beat. There's no way, not with some thing out there killing people. "It can wait until you see her next, which will probably be tomorrow knowing you two."

"Derek!" She groans, falling down onto the sofa beside him. She throws her arms and legs over him, annoying him, covering the pages of his book.

"Jessie, get off me." Derek says, not in the mood, not when more dead bodies keep piling up.

"Then take me to Danny's." Jessie says. "I'll even stay the night there, just drop me off, please, pretty please." She pleads.

"Jesus Christ, fine." He sighs, because she's annoying the crap out of him. "You've got two minutes, go get your stuff." he says.

"Thanks!" She scrambles of the sofa, running up the stairs while fishing her phone out to call Danny to tell her she's coming.

.

 _Almost Midnight_

"I'm so full." Danny groans, rubbing her bloated stomach as they lay on Danny's bed, watching Netflix on Danny's television.

"Me too." Jessie agrees, putting the ice cream on her bedside table. Jessie turns her head and looks at Danny with this face, and Danny knows what she's after.

"Okay." Danny nods, grabbing the remote to turn the volume right down.

Jessie smiles, pulling herself to sit up too.

"We have to be quiet though, Stiles and Scott are here." Danny says, her voice already quieter.

"Okay." Jessie nods. "So, what happened today with you two? You ignored my text."

"I know, sorry, it was bad timing and I forgot to get back to you." Danny tells her. "Well.."

And they sat up for 2 hours, gossiping, like the teenaged girls they are. For once, for one night, they got to pretend they weren't caught up in werewolves and murders, and hunters, and all that crap.

It was nice.

.

.

 **Wait, Danny's got a little crush too maybe!**

 **Favourite! Follow! Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's an update, enjoy!**

 **Hawk-eye-33 - Yay, I like their friendship too :) I'm all for Dissac! I'm still giving Stessie (Stiles and Jessie) a think though. Yes, we'll learn about Ashlyn soon :) Thank you, that's so nice, I hope you continue to enjoy :3**

 **momentum123 - Thanks :) Here's the update!**

.

 _A Couple Days Later - Sunday 15th May - Early Morning_

Things in their small town are slowly turning ugly again.

Between having this girl and this toddler staying in his house, and trying to find out what's killing innocent people, and keeping his pack out of trouble, Derek's a little..stressed.

He ventures through the hospital, trying to stay out of sight as he seeks out the morgue. He needs to get a good look at these victims of the 'animal attacks' before they start pointing fingers.

He slips in, closing and locking the door behind him. He takes the clipboard from the cubby and starts searching for the older man's name first, the newest murder.

He finds it, matches the serial number to the body locker and pulls it open.

Even Derek, Derek-I've-Seen-It-All-Hale, cringes a little at the mess this thing plaguing their town left behind.

There's no doubt, these weren't just animal attacks.

The body is far too torn up to see anything, so Derek goes for the man and his two daughters next. He searches the clipboard for the family name.

 _Turner_.

Bingo.

He matches the serial numbers to the body lockers, pulling all three open. He removes the shrouds, looking at the bodies.

They're not as bad as the other man's, Derek can at least see the wounds.

Something flickers in Derek's eyes as he looks at one of the little girls. His own deceased baby sister's face flashes in his mind.

 _With everything going on, he can't do this now._

He quickly shuts both of the ones with the little girls.

He's not going through this right now.

Instead, he shoves all those old, hurt feelings back, and he focuses on the father's body, on his chest and torso. He hovers his hand over the lacerations, imitating how they would have been put there. It's something else, something like him, something like Isaac or Scott. And with how deep they are, this thing attacked with the intention to kill, for sure.

And it clicks.

She shows up, dead bodies show up too. They know nothing about her, they don't know where she's been, why she was so banged up, maybe someone tried to fight back. Maybe, _maybe_ , Derek should be looking for the killer _closer to home_.

Derek closes the last body locker, putting the clip board back in the cubby by the far wall.

His head snaps up when the door handle rattles.

"Locked? What the.." A key jingles into the lock, and the door's pushed open. "Hello?" A man in glasses calls out, but Derek's already gone.

.

When John drops Jessie home before he goes to work, she thanks him, goes into the house and goes upstairs to check in on their newest household members.

As she's come to do a lot, Jessie silently pushes the spare room door open to peek inside and check on Tyson and Ashlyn.

And, as she's come to see a lot, she finds the girl is in her jaguar form. She's not on her bed, she's on Tyson's. She's wrapped around him and he's got his face tucked into her fur, gripping it lightly in his fists.

Jessie assesses that they're fine, and she quietly pulls the door shut again and continues down the stairs to the kitchen, where she'll make her breakfast.

.

 _Lunchtime_

Scott waves out as Danny and Jessie walk over to the three boys practicing lacrosse on the fields.

Isaac gives Danny this small smile, which she returns.

"It's Sunday, why'd you drag us out here?" Jessie complains.

"Well, we need to practice, and all of us need to talk as well." Stiles says.

"Talk about what?" Jessie asks, sitting down on the bleachers.

Danny follows suit and the three males start tossing the lacrosse ball to each other as they talk.

"You heard, right? About the new murder? It was in the papers a couple days ago." Scott says.

"Yeah, I saw." Jessie nods.

"Me too." Danny says.

"My Dad's on the case right now. That's a total of 4 people dead now." Stiles says, catching the ball and shooting it over to Isaac, who catches it. Stiles looks at Jessie. "What's Derek doing about it?" Stiles asks.

She doesn't know why, but that strikes something in her. She looks up at him with a frown.

"What do you mean? Just because he's the Alpha doesn't mean he has to take responsibility for everything." She bites out. Maybe this murder has her quite worried for the lives of this pack, and the people in her town, she's a little anxious, a little..agitated. And she doesn't want them all looking at her brother to stop this, he can't do everything by himself. They might not be able too, but Jessie can see the weight of all of this slowly crushing Derek. "Stop blaming him." Jessie says.

Before Stiles can even object to everything she just said, because what he said barely meant any of what she just said, the girl stands up and walks away, more _storms_ away.

"Jessie?" Stiles calls after her. "What just happened?" Stiles asks, looking at Scott.

"I don't know.." Scott says, looking in the direction Jessie just walked away.

Danny grabs her phone and follows after the girl, going to comfort her, even if she knows Jessie probably wants to be alone.

"Bye, Isaac." She throws over her shoulder.

"Bye, Danny." Isaac says back.

That makes both Scott and Stiles turn to the other male.

"What?" Isaac asks.

"Since when did you and my sister get along so well?" Scott asks. Sure, they're friendly, but they seem..better, and Scott doesn't know why.

"What do you mean? We're always like that." Isaac brushes it off, he doesn't want Scott getting suspicious and sticking his nose in. "I'll get in the goal." He says, changing the subject.

Scott watches him walk away, his mind reeling over the couple things that just happened.

"Scotty! C'mon, man." Stiles calls out, waiting for the ball.

Scott snaps out of it, and focuses on their practice instead.

.

 _A Little Later_

Derek walks into the house, setting the new girl in his sights.

"Before you got here, what were you doing?" He asks.

Ashlyn looks up at him. She blinks once, twice. At first, Derek wouldn't even acknowledge she was living in the house, and now he's coming up to her willy-nilly demanding all these answers.

"Where were you and what were doing before we found you?" He asks again.

"It's none of your business." She says, her voice sour at his demanding tone. She tries to walk away but he grabs her by the wrist.

"Hey! Dead bodies show up in our town and suddenly you're here-"

"Don't touch me!" She snaps, pulling out of his grip, pushing the wolf back a few steps. "I didn't kill _anyone_." She defends. She's had about enough of him and his looks and his accusations.

"And I'm supposed to just trust your word? I don't even know you." He says, closing that distance again. "Tell me, what were you-"

Ashlyn growls, warning him to back off, because she _isn't talking about it_. She feels that stabbing pain in her head again, like an aggressive headache.

Derek growls back, his eyes turning red.

"Hey, what's going on?" Jessie jogs over to the two, seeing green and red eyes glow at each other angrily.

"I went and looked at those bodies today. Animal claw marks all over them." Derek tells her. "Your little friend here killed those people-"

"I didn't kill anyone!" She snaps at him again, becoming more and more angry. The pain in her head gets worse, but she doesn't let that stop her.

"Guys.. Calm down." Jessie says, stepping between them. She holds her hands up, hoping to calm them as they're both _very_ mad now. "I'm sure Ashlyn didn't hurt those people." Jessie says, because she can't see it. Even if they don't know her, Jessie can't imagine it. The way she protects her nephew, Jessie can't imagine Ashlyn killing those little girls, or their father. There's no way.

"I don't trust her, I want her out of here." Derek says. But Derek knows she's hiding something, and her appearance lines up too easily. All signs point to her right now.

"Derek, wait." Jessie frowns.

"No, I'll go." Ashlyn says. She's not going to stand here and listen to this.

"Not until you admit to what you did, and the face the consequences." Derek shakes his head, stepping into her path. Yeah, he wants her out, but she needs to own up first. Well.. Maybe she won't make it out the door after all.

"I didn't do anything." She says slowly, baring fangs.

"Ash.." Tyson comes into the room, pausing, seeing something's wrong.

Ashlyn's eyes flick to him, then back to Derek.

"I didn't kill those people. I haven't killed anyone." Ashlyn says, trying to be a little calmer now that Tyson's in the room.

"I don't believe you." Derek shakes his head.

"I _don't_ care." Ashlyn says. "You want me gone? Fine. Me and Tyson will go-"

"I don't wan' go." Tyson frowns. "We can't go back."

Jessie frowns.

"What? What is he talking about?" Jessie asks Ashlyn.

Ashlyn swallows heavily and shakes her head.

"Tyson, we have to go." Ashlyn says to him.

"No." The boy shakes his head. "No, they come back." He says, looking scared.

"Ashlyn, what is he talking about?" Jessie asks again.

Derek's eyes turn human green again, and he can see he's missed something, they all have.

"Tyson. We're leaving." Ashlyn says. She touches two fingers to her temple, this headache or whatever it is, is getting much worse.

Derek steps forward and Ashlyn snaps out a growl in his direction.

"Stay away from us." She warns him, stepping closer to Tyson.

"What is he talking about?" Derek asks her now.

"The red-eyed monst'r come back and-"

"Tyson!" Ashlyn raises her voice at him, because she doesn't want him to tell them.

"No!" Tyson raises his voice back at her. "I don't wan' them to get you too!"

Ashlyn's face falls.

"It wasn't you." Derek realizes. "But you do know what it was, don't you?" He asks her.

Ashlyn glances at him, then down at the ground, a deep frown darkening her face.

"What was it?" Jessie asks. "Ashlyn, what's doing this-" She steps closer to the two and Ashlyn just snaps.

"I don't know, okay?!" She yells.

Derek pulls his sister behind him, in case Ashlyn tries to do more than yell. He says 'try' because he'd kill Ashlyn before she could get close enough to hurt Jessie.

"I barely saw it! It had red eyes, it was an Alpha, that's all I know! All I saw was that and my pack, dead! All of them, except us, _dead_!" Ashlyn exclaims.

The girl breathes in and out heavily, her eyes glassy.

"It attacked me and I barely got Tyson out of there, and away from that place, that's when you found us!" She tells Derek angrily, but he sees the sadness echoed in her eyes.

By the end of her lecture, Tyson's crying, because his parents where a part of that massacre.

The pieces fall into place, how they found them, where they found them, why they're the way they are, why Ashlyn was hurt and why they were both so exhausted.

"Oh.. My God." Jessie sighs softly. "I'm so sorry-"

"We don't need your pity." Ashlyn cuts her off, looking at the other girl angrily now. She angry-filled eyes look at the Alpha next. "If you really think I'd do something so horrible then I don't wanna be here, I don't belong here, neither of us do." She says. She backs up, lifting the crying toddler into her arms.

"Derek, do something." Jessie says when the girl heads for the door.

Derek's eyes dart between Jessie and Ashlyn, before he gets in front of Ashlyn.

"Wait." He says, because he was out of line because he was more than wrong. And with how Jessie's looking at him with pleading eyes, he can't let Ashlyn take Tyson and walk out the door and disappear.

"Get out of my way." Ashlyn warns.

"Tyson doesn't want to go-"

"Tyson doesn't want to _die_." Ashlyn corrects. "What do you care anyway? We're strangers, you don't know us, and you sure as hell don't trust us." She throws his own words back in his face.

"Ashlyn, please don't go." Jessie pleads, looking at the girl with a sad frown.

Ashlyn looks over at her, seeing the girl is concerned and worried that she really will leave with Tyson.

"Move." She says to Derek anyway.

"Ashlyn, _please_." Jessie begs.

Ashlyn ignores how _real_ Jessie sounds, how she really doesn't want her to go.

"I can't do that." Derek says. "You can't be out there with him, alone."

Ashlyn's eyes start to glow green and a growl builds in the back of her throat.

"Ash.. Please, we stay?" Tyson looks up at his Aunt with tears down his face.

The glow in Ashlyn's eyes goes out, Tyson's sadness sucking the anger from her.

"Ashlyn, please stay. It's too dangerous out there." Jessie says.

Ashlyn knows it's somewhat true.

"It-It scary out there. I wan' stay here." Tyson says. "It safe here."

And when Ashlyn meets his eyes, they all already know she's going to give in.

Her eyes meet Derek's again, and he has the decency to look apologetic for how he came in the door and just attacked her like that.

" _You_." She points at Derek, voice full of anger, her whole body tense. "Stay away from us." She says to him.

He doesn't say anything, he just lets the girl back up and go back up to their room.

Ashlyn gets to the top of the stairs, stopping for a moment to grip the railing tighter, feeling like unconsciousness is knocking at her again.

Exhaustion. Yeah, it must be that.

Jessie sighs in relief, grateful those two didn't just walk out.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jessie asks her brother. "Why did you do that?"

"I thought it was her." Derek says, realizing how wrong he was, and how he just messed up too. But seeing those girl's bodies, thinking of his deceased little sister..he just lost his cool.

"You need to make that right." Jessie tells him.

.

 _Later_

Ashlyn's finally gotten Tyson to sleep, still rubbing his back as he lays on the bed.

She still feels..crappy. She doesn't know what it is, she knows people like her can't get sick but this all feels very.. _human_. Maybe it's because she's in a human form again, she's not as invincible. Maybe.

She's avoiding leaving the room, because she's either going to bump into Jessie or Derek, and she doesn't want to deal with that.

There's a couple knocks at her door and then it's opened.

She opens her mouth to object to their entrance, but instead her eyes flash green when she sees who it is.

"Get out." Ashlyn says, keeping her voice a little quiet for Tyson's sake, but not bothering hiding how mad she is.

"Just, wait." Derek says.

"Derek, get out or I'll-"

"I'm.." He's not used to saying the words, he hesitates, but he knows he needs too. "I'm sorry, okay?"

Ashlyn can admit, she didn't expect to hear that.

"I got it wrong. I thought it was you, I thought I'd figured it out and that I could stop more innocent people from dying but I was wrong. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come at you like that." He says, swallowing his pride for a moment to admit to his screw-ups and make it right like Jessie said.

Ashlyn stays quiet, just looking between his eyes, trying to pick up if he's being half-hearted. But he isn't. He knows he was wrong, and he knows the way he went about it was wrong too.

"Okay." Ashlyn gives as a response.

Derek nods, knowing it's the best he'll get. He actually expected worse. He leaves the room again, pulling the door shut, leaving her to look after Tyson.

Jessie gives him a nod as he passes her, glad he didn't waste too much time.

.

.

 **What do you all think's going on in Beacon Hills? What's killing people? Also, how's the atmosphere of the Hale home going to be like now?**

 **Favorite! Follow! Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**momentum123 - Hehe, they will, maybe :P**

 **jayesh dms - Thanks :) I was wondering if I should bring in Stessie as well? So, EVERYBODY! Stessie (Stiles and Jessie), yes or no? But, there will be Stessie scenes this chapter too! Hehe, they didn't eat it! Thank god :D**

 **.**

 _Monday 16th May - Morning_

Jessie looks up from her usual bowl of cornflakes for breakfast when she hears footsteps approaching.

Ashlyn comes into the kitchen but stops, seeing Jessie isn't the only person in this area.

Derek glances at her and away again.

Jessie frowns, hating how things have gone between them. She knew things were shaky before, he didn't trust her, she didn't trust him, but now it's just gone to complete and utter crap.

Ashlyn walks into the kitchen as well, slowly. She finds some sage, and starts looking for the other component of her hot drink.

"Jessie, is there honey somewhere? Tyson's got a sore throat this morning." She asks the girl.

Jessie steps chewing, and thinks it over. Do they have honey? Hmm..

Before Jessie can answer, Derek goes into the pantry. He reaches into the back of the cupboard and grabs the honey. He brings it out, and looks at Ashlyn. She looks at it, and then at him. He puts it in front of her, without saying a single word.

Jessie looks between the two. Well.. It seems they do have honey.

Ashlyn swallows.

"Thanks." She says quietly, her eyes shooting away from him and to the mugs, fishing one out.

Derek nods, still making his own breakfast.

Ashlyn gets the kettle boiling.

Jessie just watches as they work side by side, space between them, too much space. Ashlyn puts honey in the mug, and tears the sage leaves into it too. Derek cracks eggs into a pan that already has bacon cooking in it.

Ashlyn tries to ignore how good the cooking meat smells. She certainly isn't asking Derek if she could have some, there's no way in _hell_ that's happening.

Derek's eyes flick to the side, watching the girl from the corner of his eye.

Ashlyn fills her mug with hot water and stirs the contents until the honey is dissolved. She tests it, blowing on it before sipping it. She nods a little, happy with that. She's about to walk out, but she feels someone looking at her. She looks at Derek, and he's already looking at her.

"What?" She asks him, her voice harsher than it needs to be.

"Nothing." He says, his voice not as soft as it could be either.

Jessie still looks on, really hoping it doesn't blow up into anything else.

But it doesn't, Ashlyn just leaves, going back upstairs with her hot drink for her nephew.

.

About 10, 15 minutes later, Jessie knocks on Ashlyn's bedroom door.

Ashlyn looks over as she comes in.

"Hey, is Tyson all right?" She checks in, pushing Ashlyn's room door closed again before walking over.

"I don't know, he's hot, sweaty, got a sore throat." Ashlyn says, brushing the toddler's hair back as he sips at the hot drink as he lays in bed.

"Can I?" Jessie asks, holding a hand up.

Ashlyn nods, she has this trust in Jessie she doesn't seem to have with the others. Maybe its because she braved stepping into that room with the girl when she was a jaguar, just so she could help. Maybe it's because Jessie doesn't look at her like she's a monster or an animal, maybe it's because Jessie looks at her like she's an equal.

Jessie gently presses the back of her hand to Tyson's head, feeling how hot he is.

"Yeah, I think he has a fever." Jessie says. "It's not uncommon."

"Will he be okay?" Ashlyn asks.

"Yeah, he will." Jessie nods. "He just needs a few days, and for you to look after him."

"What do I do for a fever? I mean, I'm not exactly an expert on sickness.. Tyson's parents were like me, I didn't even think he could get sick." Ashlyn says.

"Wait.. Tyson's like you, a were-jaguar?" Jessie asks, surprised.

"Yes, his parents were full-blooded ones, spent most of their lives in their jaguar forms." Ashlyn says.

Jessie doesn't question the _were_.

"He's too young to trigger any of the abilities though, he needs a while longer." Ashlyn says. "I guess that means he's still prone to illness too then."

"Well.. Until then, he needs you." Jessie says. "Keep giving him water, a little but often. A wet cloth or something for his head will help cool him down. Just, you know, keep him light, I'll grab some more clothes, thin ones. He'll be fine in a few days, I'm sure of it." Jessie says.

"You really know what you're doing." Ashlyn says. Also, she understand the there was an older Hale, older than Derek, a girl, that's where some of Ashlyn's clothes came from, but she still doesn't understand where the baby clothes are coming from, because Jessie brought those into her too.

"Well.. We had a baby sister, about Tyson's age, so.." Jessie mumbles, looking into her lap as hurt flashes in her eyes.

"Oh.." And there's the explanation. "Jessie, where are they? Your older sister, your younger sister.."

"They passed away with our parents." Jessie says before standing up. "I'll be back soon." She says, quickly leaving the room.

She cusses herself out, she's about to go to school, she can't get upset and start thinking about all of that.

.

 _Later_

Stiles doesn't see Jessie that whole day until after school. She seems to avoid him, and he doesn't like it, he wants to make things right.

"Go away, Stiles." She says, taking the last of her papers from her locker before slamming it shut. She tried, but she has been down all day after talking about her family. She doesn't blame Ashlyn since it was her decision to open up, she's just a little disappointed because she hoped Ashlyn would do the same then Jessie could better understand her and Tyson. And it plain hurts when she thinks of her family.

"I just wanted to apologize for what happened yesturday." He says. "I don't know what I did or said to set you off, but I'm sorry."

"Okay, fine. Yeah, me too." She says, but it doesn't sound very sincere.

"So.. Are we good?" Stiles asks her, because that's why he came looking for her, that's what he wants.

"I.. I don't know- Can you just leave me alone?" She asks him.

Stiles sighs, nodding. There's something else upsetting her, he can tell, but he's not going to push her. He takes his keys from his pocket as he walks towards the parking lot, twirling his keys around his finger.

"How'd it go?" Scott asks, from where he's waiting, leaning against the Jeep.

"Terrible." Stiles mumbles, unlocking the Jeep and getting into it without another word.

Scott follows him, getting it too, frowning at Stiles because he can see how much this is dragging the other male down.

.

 _That Night_

Stiles is more than surprised when he opens his knocked-on door and she stands on his doorstep.

"..Jessie?"

"Can I come in?" Jessie asks him.

Stiles nods, moving to let her in, closing the door behind her.

"I, uh.. I just wanted to apologize for the other day, and for today." She says. "Derek's really stressed. I know he doesn't show it, but..I know, I see it. I'm his sister, I have too."

Stiles just listens, letting her speak.

"I don't know why I snapped at you." She shakes her head, frowning, looking down at her hands that she wrings nervously. "I just.. I just want to look after him, because he's always looked after me." Jessie wishes more than anything that she could do the same for the rest of her family. "I don't know, hearing you say that, I just thought.."

"That I was blaming him." Stiles finishes for her.

She nods, looking up at his face again.

"I don't blame him." Stiles tells her. "He does a lot for us, for all of us, for this town, and doesn't ask for anything in return. I would never blame these murders on him, Jessie." He says, because he really never could. They see how he is, how he goes out and combs the woods for even the smallest hair out of place, he doesn't want any of these bad things to happen and they know it.

She nods again.

"I.." She exhales, her eyes stinging. "I'm just scared." She opens up a little, because it's hard to keep it all bottled up all the time.

"Scared? Of what?" He asks, moving closer to her because she's getting upset.

"He keeps going out there, and-and what if.. What if one time he doesn't come back? What if one time Isaac or Scott don't come back? What if something happens to them?" She asks, watery eyes seeking out answers in Stiles' face. "Stiles, I don't have anymore family, I.. I-I can't lose Derek. I can't." She says, a tear splashing off her lashes, falling down her cheek. She sits down on his sofa, trying to stop herself from losing it and crying her eyes out.

Stiles just looks at her, his face falling into a frown. They forget Jessie and Derek aren't exactly the same, they forget she feels and shows more than he does, not that he feels less, but he definitely shows less. And right now, she's crying in front of him, scared to lose the little bit of family she has left and Stiles has never felt like they could relate so much before, because he feels the same way about his Dad, and feels that same fear of losing him.

"Jessie.." He sits down beside her. "Derek knows what he's doing, so do Isaac and Scott. They'll be fine, and they'll always come back because they always do. And they have too, they have to come back to you, to me, to all of us." Stiles says. "Okay?" He reaches out and rubs her arm gently.

She sniffles and nods, trying to blink away her tears.

"C'mon. Don't cry, please." He pulls a tissue free and hands it to her.

She takes it and quickly wipes the tears from her face, feeling embarrassed that she's in tears right in front of him.

"..sorry." She says, looking down at the tissue.

"It's okay, you're allowed to get upset, Jessie." Stiles says.

"But you just said.."

"I just don't like seeing you cry." He says.

They're quiet for a moment and Stiles realizes that was a little bold on his behalf, but he doesn't retract the statement because it's true.

"Did you walk here?" Stiles asks her.

Jessie dabs at her eyes again as she nods.

"C'mon, I'll drive you home."

"Stiles, no, I can walk." She shakes her head.

"It's dark, and you're upset. I'm not letting you walk home like this. C'mon." He holds his hand out to her as he stands up.

Jessie looks between his outstretched hand and his face.

"C'mon, we'll go through the drive-thru. My shout." Stiles says with a small smile.

Jessie's lips twitch upwards and she puts her hand in his.

.

"You missed dinner." Derek comments when Jessie comes through the front door.

"It's okay, I picked something up." Jessie says, holding a brown bag filled with fast food rubbish and a little leftover food. She tried to object to Stiles buying it, but he brought it anyway. And he was right, it made her feel better. Or maybe it was Stiles' company, Jessie isn't sure.

"You okay?" Derek asks her, studying to girl. "Where were you?"

"I'm fine."

"Jessie.. You can't go off at night by yourself, it's too dangerous." He says. "I've already told you this."

"Sorry, I won't do it again. I'm gonna check on Tyson, he's sick." She says, heading up the stairs.

Derek nods, deciding not to pull her up about her whereabouts again.

Jessie goes upstairs. She doesn't knock, she just walks in because Ashlyn's already spotted her.

"How's he doing?" Jessie asks Ashlyn.

The girl's got the toddler laying over her lap, a wet cloth in her hand, wiping at his brow and face gently. He's tired, but the fever's making it hard for him to sleep.

"Not too good." Ashlyn tells her. "He's hot, then cold, then hot again." She frowns. "He spent the last hour crying."

"Oh.." Jessie frowns too. "Anything I can do?" She asks.

"I don't think so. He just needs to get through it, right?"

"Yeah." Jessie nods. "And he will, don't worry." She assures her. "Anything I can do for you?"

Ashlyn shakes her head.

Jessie nods and turns to leave.

"Wait." Ashlyn says.

Jessie stops, turning back around to face her.

"Yeah? What do you need?"

"Why are you doing this? Being so good to us?" Ashlyn asks her.

"My brother's heart's in the right place, just sometimes his mind isn't." Jessie says. "As a female, I'm smarter, of course."

And Ashlyn actually smiles a little at that, amused. Jessie counts that as a win.

"We both want to help, he's just..finding his way, you know? But me, I'm here to help. I want you and Tyson to be comfortable here, I want you to stay here, with us, all of us. I don't want to wake up one morning to a note telling us you've taken off." Jessie says.

Ashlyn swallows and nods.

"Please don't let me wake up one morning to a note telling us you've taken off." She says.

"I.. I won't." Ashlyn says, and she decides right then that she won't do that. Even if she were to leave, she'd tell Jessie to her face, because after everything Jessie's done, she deserves that much.

"Well, good." Jessie nods. "I'll leave you two to get some sleep." She says.

"Thanks, Jessie. Really, thank you." Ashlyn says sincerely.

"You're welcome." Jessie says, before she slips out of her room again.

.

 _Later_

It's late, Tyson's finally asleep, and Ashlyn's in the bathroom.

She splashes water over her face again. She looks at her reflection, her cheeks are flushed and she feels horrible, her stomach's churning.

She knows it's not what Tyson has, because she's not hot to the touch, she doesn't have a sore throat, _she's not human_.

But then why does she feel this way?

She doesn't know.

She sits down on the bathroom floor, just taking deep breaths in and out, trying to re-oxygenate her brain and body, hoping it'll help.

And, of course, it doesn't.

Yeah, it sounded stupid to her too, but she doesn't have that many choices when she doesn't even know what the hell's going on with her.

.

.

 **Ashlyn?! :(**

 **Favourite! Follow! Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, yes, Stessie will be a thing! And I'm kicking Dissac into effect this chapter too since it's been lacking in the last few chapters!**

 **Hawk-eye-33 - It's okay :) Yes! Stessie will be in here now! You'll learn more about Ash's physical problems this chapter! But yes, Tyson is just sick! I like the Jessie/Ashlyn combo too, so look forward to seeing more of that :) With so many OCs, I wasn't giving Danny enough credit because she's a main character too, but she's coming in much more this chapter! It's okay, I like that you're curious and ask those questions :) Thank you so much, that's sweet, but are you okay? Hospital?! I hope everything's okay :)**

 **jayesh dms - You'll see more about Ashlyn and Tyson this chapter :) Hehe, yes, Stessie is a go! Ooh! That's a good idea! I like that, some jealous Jessie :)**

 **Tesla424 - Yay, I'm glad to hear it! I'm excited to write my own thing from the get-go :) We will see!**

 **.**

 _A Couple Days Later - Wednesday 18th May - Morning_

Danny wakes to the buzzing of her cell.

"Hmm. 'ello?" She answers it, her voice mumbled and sleepy.

"Oh.. I woke you? Uh, I.. I'm sorry."

"Isaac?" Danny says.

"Yeah." He assures. "Sorry for waking you, I'll go-"

"No. No, it's okay." She shakes her head. She sits up and stretches. "I needed to get up anyway. What's up?"

"I was wondering if..if you wanted to walk to school today? The bus kind of sucks and, you know, I could meet you at your place and we could walk together.." He suggests, picking at a loose thread on his jeans nervously.

"Oh. Yeah. Yeah, that's a good idea." She nods. "Uh.." She looks at herself, still in pajamas, _still in bed_. "How long will you be?" She asks.

"I gotta have breakfast and get my stuff but, uh, like 10-15 minutes?" He says.

"Okay, cool. I'll see you soon then." Danny says.

"Okay." This little shy smile spreads across Isaac's cheeks. "I'll see you then. Bye, Danny."

"Bye, Isaac." The second she's hung up, she flies out of bed, rushing into the bathroom to shower. The one time she decides to sleep in, great choice, Danny.

Ashlyn quietly walks into the kitchen, with the intention to get a glass of water. Derek's already in here, but she isn't as hesitant as she was the other day.

He sees her see him, so he gives a small nod in greeting, testing where she's at with accepting his apology for acting the way he did.

She does hesitant now, just for a second. She thinks of what Jessie was saying to her the other night.

 _My brother's heart is in the right place, sometimes his mind just isn't_

Ashlyn processes the words before she gives Derek a single nod back.

He's surprised she returned his gesture, but in a good way. Two were-creatures at each other's throats? This household would fall apart within a week.

Ashlyn goes to the sink, fills a glass up under the tap, and walks over to the table.

That's when she feels it. It smashes into her, almost knocking the wind out of her because she's still half-asleep and she really wasn't expecting it to happen. She stumbles a little, sitting down, managing to knock her glass over as well.

"Shit." She says, quickly picking it up, only to knock it over again.

Ever since she shifted back to human, she's been having..side-effects. Dizziness, sometimes she feels sick. But this is worse than she's ever felt.

"You okay?" Derek asks, moving over to her quickly, moving the now empty glass away from her.

"Sorry, I.." She tries to apologize for the water now covering a good portion of the table, but her head's already pounding.

"Ashlyn?" He says, because she almost collapsed just then. Besides, water can be cleaned up.

"I'm fine, it's just.. Ah. Dizzy." She says, pinching the bridge of her nose, like it could stop the room from spinning.

"What's going on?" Isaac asks, coming into the kitchen to make his breakfast, his packed bag hanging over one shoulder.

"Nothing." Ash says on instinct. And the look Derek gives her tells her he knows she's definitely lying. "Don't look at me like that, I'm fine." She says stubbornly, standing up. She's not _weak_. And she doesn't want Derek, or any of them, thinking otherwise.

But she isn't fine either, because he has to catch her arm before she falls. She cringes a little at the unexpected physical contact from him, she pulls back a little. Then she feels her stomach churn angrily.

"I.. I think I'm gonna be sick." She says, feeling nausea wash over her.

"Isaac, dry that up." Derek says and Isaac nods, seeing something is wrong. "Bathroom's down here." Derek speaks to Ashlyn now, leading her to where his bathroom is, because it's the closest one.

She lets him help her walk because she's dizzy, and she's most definitely going to be sick, she can feel it, almost taste it. And she does. She almost misses the toilet too, but luckily doesn't. That's never fun, especially when her head feels like a sandbag that's being slammed into walls, dangerously close to tearing.

Derek looks at her, unsure what to do. He doesn't like to admit it, but.. He's a little..worried. Their kind, were-creatures, they don't get sick.

She stays like that until she's got it all out. She sighs, seeing the black blood mixed into the _mess_ in the toilet before she flushes it away, slumping against the floor against the shower stall.

She can feel the Alpha looking at her, trying to figure it all out, trying to figure _her_ out.

"Something you wanna tell me?" Derek says.

She says nothing.

And he's not surprised with the way they've been going the last couple days. _His_ fault.

"How long have you been this way?" He asks, because that's not normal.

She swallows, still deciding whether she should stay quiet, tell him to mind his own business, or open up. Then she thinks of him helping her, and the fact that he's still standing in here when he could have left. But she also thinks of how he acted the other day, how he openly suggested she was a murderer, of her own pack and family.

"Ashlyn. How long?" He asks again.

She sighs.

"For.."

Derek looks at her again, hearing her speak. Her voice is quiet, _embarrassed_.

"For about a week.. Since I changed back." She tells him, looking at her hands in her lap, still trying to get used to seeing _hands_ instead of _paws_.

"You should go see Deaton." He says.

Ashlyn shakes her head.

"It's just a side-effect." She brushes it off. "It's been over 2 years since I was..like this. There's gonna be repercussions to coming back to this form." She says. "It'll get better though. I just need some time."

"Black blood though? You're hurt." He says.

Ashlyn says nothing.

"Where?" He asks. He can't see it, he can't smell it, he doesn't know what's going on with her.

"I think it's on the inside." She says quietly, refusing to look at him.

"We have a doctor, a real doctor." Derek says.

Ashlyn glances at him from under her lashes.

"Melissa McCall, Scott's mother. She works at the hospital in town. She'd check you over, she knows about..everything, the pack. It wouldn't be a problem."

"Maybe.." Ashlyn says. She's still trying to get used to living with people she doesn't really know. She doesn't think she's comfortable with another stranger poking around, trying to find what's wrong with her. The girl takes a deep breath and pulls herself to her feet.

Derek inches forward a little, because she's pale and he's sure she's going to fall down. But she doesn't. She does pause to wait for the room to stop spinning before she starts walking though.

"You need to see Melissa." Derek pipes up again. None of this is normal, it's actually worrying. What if it's contagious? And they all saw what she was like when she was wounded, she'd snap at anyone, he can't have that happening when she lives in his house.

"I'll think about it." She says, glancing back at him, before she keeps walking. She just hopes and prays she can make it back to her room without falling over.

"You okay?" Isaac asks, looking up from where he's pushing peanut butter over toast fresh from the toaster.

Ashlyn notices her mess is cleaned up, the cup on the bench.

"Thanks for cleaning that up." She says, instead of answering his question. She's revealed enough for one day.

Isaac doesn't say anything else, but he watches as she slowly walks up the stairs, holding the railing for support. He watches on until she's out of his vision, in case he has to rush over and help her. He looks over at Derek when he comes back into the kitchen area.

"What happened?" Isaac asks him.

Derek sees the frown on the wolf's face, he sees the crease marks in his forehead.

"Just a bad morning." Derek says, because he isn't sure she was comfortable with him seeing that or telling him those things either. Even if she was, he's sure she wouldn't want him and Isaac discussing it right under her bedroom like a couple of 15 year old girls.

"Hmm. I hope she's okay." Isaac says before he looks back down at his toast.

Even though Isaac can be cocky sometimes when is comes to his wolf side, Derek can see the kid has a compassionate, kind side too. Maybe that's why he didn't want him to suffer at the hands of his father anymore. Maybe that's why Derek chose to bite him and not some other teenager.

"You want me to drive you today? I think Jessie's going to ask for a ride, considering she's still in bed and the bus will be here any second." Derek says, rolling his eyes at his sister's logic.

"Oh, uh.. No." Isaac says.

Derek looks at him now.

"I'm.. I'm gonna go see Danny, I'm walking with her today." Isaac says. "Don't tell anyone." He adds quickly. "Um.." He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Right.." Derek nods slowly. "Well, uh, you go do that then."

"Yeah." Isaac puts his bag on properly now, and heads for the front door.

"Oh, and Isaac?"

"Yeah?" He faces Derek again.

"Don't let Scott see you." The Alpha says.

"What do you mean?"

Derek actually looks a little amused at Isaac's cluelessness.

"What are you gonna do? Go to the door and tell Scott you're only there to see his little sister?" Derek asks him.

"Oh.." Isaac gulps. He didn't even think about that. Oh, God.

"You'll figure it out. Get going, or you'll be late." Derek says.

"Yeah." Isaac nods, and he leaves out the front door.

A yawn fills the house and Jessie comes down the stairs. She looks at Derek with sleepy eyes and messy bed-hair. "Can you drive me today?"

.

Isaac's more than relieved when it's Danny that answers the front door.

"Where's uh..Scott?" Isaac asks, watching his back a little bit.

"Oh, he and Stiles left a few minutes ago." Danny tells him.

That makes Isaac feel _a lot_ better.

Danny locks the door behind them as they leave.

They just walk in silence for a couple minutes, unsure what to say to each other, just..shy.

"So, uh.. Did you hear about Lydia's party?" Danny asks him.

"Yeah." Isaac nods. "This Saturday, right?"

"Yeah." She confirms with a nod. "Are you going? I was gonna but.. I don't know."

"Well.. Would you go if.. Um.." Isaac stutters, having trouble getting the words out.

"If what?" Danny asks him, her heart starting to beat faster because she has a feeling she knows why he's nervous.

"If, uh.. If I went? Like.. Okay." He takes a breath. "Danny, will you go to Lydia's party with me?" He asks her.

Danny nods, a smile coming to her face.

"Yeah, I will." She says.

"Heh." Isaac smiles too now, both looking like kids on Christmas. "Okay, cool."

Danny glances at him, and she has butterflies in her stomach. Is this a date? Oh, God. Is this a date, like a _real_ date, like a _date_ date? Danny's never been on a date?! She's never even had a boyfriend before?! She forces herself to take a deep breath and calm down, because school's just up on the hill and she can't let Isaac hear her heart racing and hopping around in her chest either.

.

When the first break time bell goes, Danny races out of class to find Jessie. Her and Isaac were a little late so she hasn't seen her best friend yet, and she _urgently_ needs to talk to her.

"Hey." Stiles says, stopping in front of Jessie.

"Hey, Stiles." She says.

"I just wanted to check in, you know, see if you're doing okay." He says. "I'm not babying you or anything, just.. Just making sure you're okay." He assures her, in case she gets offended and then suddenly they're on crap terms again. Stiles doesn't want that to happen.

"No, I'm okay." Jessie says. "And thanks, you know..for checking on me. Feels nice to be thought of." She says.

"Well.. I think of you." Stiles says. "Um.. That came out wrong." He blushes.

Jessie actually chuckles, and it makes Stiles feel better, glad he didn't cross a line.

"How is Derek anyway?" Stiles asks her.

"He's doing better." Jessie says. "He and Ashlyn don't seem to be at each other's throats as much, which is good." She says with a small smile.

"Yeah, that is good. She looks like she'd be as scary as he is."

"Yeah, probably." Jessie nods.

Suddenly, Jessie's grabbed and being dragged away.

"Sorry, but I _really_ gotta talk to her!" Danny apologizes to Stiles as he drags the girl away.

Stiles chuckles.

"I'll see you later!" Jessie calls to him before the two disappear outside.

Stiles smiles now. He feels better as he walks in the other direction, looking for Scott.

"Okay, what the hell's gotten into you?" Jessie asks when Danny finally lets her go once they're on the field away from everyone. The younger girl's eyes are wide and a little frantic, Jessie hasn't seen Danny this way before.

"Okay, so, um, I walked to school with Isaac today and-"

"Wait.. What?" Jessie grins. "Just you and Isaac-"

"Just, wait, hold on." Danny says. "Yes, it was just us, and we were talking about Lydia's party. Next thing I know, he's asking me to go with him and I said yes."

"Yes! Finally! That's awesome." Jessie smiles widely.

"But.. But..I don't know what I'm doing." Danny says.

Jessie's smile falls, seeing Danny is a lot less excited than she is. She's _nervous_.

"Hey, it's fine to be nervous. Don't worry, I'll come and hang back. You'll be fine, I promise." Jessie assures her best friend.

"Really?" Danny asks.

"Yes." Jessie nods.

"Okay." Danny nods, smiling a little now too.

"See? Everything's fine."

"Yeah. Hey.. By the way, were you and Stiles just talking, just you two?" Danny asks, realizing.

"Uh.. Yeah." Jessie says, knocking back a couple notches.

"So.." Danny grins, wiggling her eyebrows.

"No, it's not like that." Jessie shakes her head. "It's just.. We're friends."

"Okay, whatever you say." Danny sing-songs.

The bell rings loudly across the whole song.

"C'mon, we need to get back to class."

"Hey, don't change the subject-"

"Shut up." Jessie blushes.

"Hold on, just one question." Danny says, catching her arm.

Jessie stops, and looks at her.

"Do you have a thing for Stiles?" Danny asks her.

"I.. I don't know." Jessie answers, looking down at her shoes. "At first he was just a dork but.. We hung out and.. He understands me, and not many people do. He just.. He's different." She says.

"Aw." Danny smiles softly. "Wait, when did you two hang out?"

"Heh." Jessie chuckles. "I'll make you a deal. We go back to class now, and I'll tell you all about it on the walk home. I don't want another detention, Derek would kill me if he found out."

"Okay, deal. Let's go."

.

 _Later_

When dinnertime rolls around, and Ashlyn and Tyson still haven't come out of their room since what happened in the morning, they all notice.

"Maybe one of us should go talk to her." Jessie says, just pushing her food around her plate, because this feels..odd. Knowing she's up there, probably sulking from how Isaac told it to Jessie, it doesn't exactly feel good. It's been hours, someone really should check on her.

When Jessie looks up from her food, because neither male responds to her, they're both looking at her.

"What?" She asks.

"Maybe you should go talk to her." Isaac says.

"Me?" Jessie asks, frowning a little. "Why me?"

"Well.. It was your idea. And you and her are like..close..ish." He says.

Derek nods a couple times, because it's true.

"Fine." Jessie says, pushing her chair out as she stands up. She walks over to the stairs. She looks at them over her shoulder, half-glaring. "You know, for a couple of werewolves, you two can be real sissies sometimes." She says, rolling her eyes.

Jessie goes upstairs. She raps on Ashlyn's door a couple times before opening it.

"Hey, we're all eating dinner if you.. Oh, my God." Jessie rushes over to the girl when she's laying on the floor next to a puddle of her own black vomit. "Derek!" She yells. "Hey, Ashlyn? Wake up." Jessie tries to shake the girl awake, but she's unconscious.

It takes all of two seconds to Derek to rush to his sister's side.

"Derek.." Jessie says, scared, looking at him.

Tyson wakes up, all the noise awakening him.

"Ash?" He says sleepily.

Isaac comes in seconds later.

"Crap.. What happened?" The teenaged boy asks as Derek tries rousing the girl.

"Isaac, get Tyson out of here." Derek directs.

Isaac nods, worried eyes on Ashlyn before he abides his Alpha.

"No!" Tyson objects to Isaac, but Isaac takes him away anyway. They don't want Tyson to see Ashlyn like that, and they know she'd want the same.

"She's freezing." Derek comments as he puts his fingers to her neck, trying to find a pulse.

"What do we do?" Jessie asks him, nervous and frightened. "Do I call an ambulance? Derek, we can't explain _black blood_ to a hospital, they'll-"

"Jessie, take a breath." Derek stops her. "She's got a pulse. Now, I need you to go into my bathroom and run a bath."

"A bath? Derek, now's not the time to bathe!" She objects frantically.

"Just do it, we need to warm her back up for starters." Derek says. "Then get Deaton on the phone, tell him he needs to get here right now. Call Melissa as well." He directs.

"Okay. Okay." Jessie nods, getting to her feet, running down the stairs.

"Ashlyn?" Derek tries to shake her awake again, but she's all..floppy.

 _Like she's dead_.

Derek frowns as he lifts her to her feet, bridal style. He knew he should have taken what happened earlier more seriously. But he didn't, neither of them did. And now look what's happened.

The girl's like a bag of sand in his arms, no strength in her neck, her head lolling to the side, into his chest.

"Is that enough?" Jessie asks when Derek comes into the bathroom, holding her.

"Almost. I'll watch her, go call Deaton and Melissa." He says.

Jessie nods, going out to the living room to seek out her cell phone.

Derek slowly lowers the girl into the hot water, ignoring how the sleeves of his henley become completely soaked as well. He keeps a hand behind her head, so she doesn't fall under the water.

Jessie comes back into the bathroom as he's turning the taps off.

"Deaton's picking up Melissa and then they'll be here." She tells her brother.

"Okay, good. You did good." He praises her. He looks away from his younger sister to look back at Ashlyn.

Jessie moves to Derek, kneeling down beside him, looking at her too.

"Is she gonna die?" Jessie asks, her voice quiet, hesitant, _scared_.

Derek looks at her now.

"Black blood.. That means she's dying, right?" Jessie asks with a frown.

"We don't know that for sure." Derek tells her, looking back at Ashlyn again.

Jessie doesn't say anything else.

A horribly silent and anxious 10 minutes pass.

Then comes the shock-factor.

Ashlyn wakes, her eyes flying open, gasping. She tries to get up, scared, too confused to know where she is.

"Hey, hey, hey." Jessie comes forward, holding her head up. "It's okay, it's okay. You just puked a little and passed out, it's okay." She soothes.

"Ashlyn?" Derek says. "Hey? Ashlyn? Can you hear me?"

But the girl's disorientated.

"Relax, okay? Relax." Jessie tells her. "Deaton and Melissa are on their way here now, they're gonna find out what's wrong and fix you up. Just relax." She tells the older girl. "Relax, Ashlyn."

.

 _A Little Later_

With the she-jaguar having settled some and regaining control of her spinning head, Melissa gets to work with checking her over. And by the time they've arrived, the whole pack know what's happened and they've all come over too.

"Oh, by the way, I don't think you two have officially met but.." Jessie speaks, looking at Ashlyn as Melissa checks her over. "Ashlyn, this is Danny, Scott's little sister and my best friend. Danny, this is our new housemate, Ashlyn, and that's little Tyson." Jessie introduces.

Stiles chuckles under his breath. Only Jessie would do this sort of thing at a time like this, right?

Ashlyn just gives a nod, because it hurts to talk, it hurts to move, to breath. Everything just hurts.

"Hi." Danny says, giving a little wave.

Her and Jessie back up a little, giving Melissa more space.

"Wow, she's pretty." Danny says to Jessie quietly. "Are you sure she lived in the wild all her life?"

"Heh. Yeah, her and Tyson both." Jessie nods, speaking just as quiet.

"She's got some bruised ribs, a little swelling." Melissa says, gently touching the girl's torso.

"Alpha.. Still-still healing." Ashlyn tells them with a strained voice, from when her pack were attacked by that Alpha _something_.

"I don't know then. Nothing else seems out of place." Melissa says. "Deaton?"

Deaton steps out, a small suitcase in his hand.

Ashlyn looks at it skeptically, _very_ skeptically.

"It's okay, just relax." Deaton says, sitting down in a chair beside her. "They're just tools to help me look you over, some herbs and what not, nothing to hurt you." He says.

Ashlyn nods, trying to relax a little like he said.

.

"She's been poisoned." Deaton tells them, clicking the light off and letting Ashlyn's face go, her mouth closing again.

"Poisoned?" Derek screws his face up. "Wolfsbane?"

"No. My guess, whatever attacked her did it. I don't know what it's got in it's claws but that's what poisoned her." Deaton says. "A day more, and she'd have died."

No one is comfortable with that statement.

"It wasn't.. It.. It wasn't just claws." Ashlyn speaks, weakly.

"Ashlyn, you should rest." Deaton says.

"Wait." Derek stops him. He looks at her. "What does that mean? What do you mean it wasn't just claws?" He asks the girl.

The girl grunts in pain as she moves, moving the blanket so they can see her upper thigh. She reveals fang-marks.

"It bit you." Derek says.

Ashlyn nods, letting her skin be concealed again.

"I didn't think.. I didn't think it'd..it'd effect m..me." She tries to speak but she's dizzy and tired.

"Hey, c'mon. Sleep, Ashlyn. We can talk about it later, okay?" Jessie says.

Ashlyn nods, because she's having a hard time staying awake and piecing words together anyway.

"We should clear out." Scott suggests.

"Yes." Deaton nods in agreement. "I'll give her something to fight it off, and she'll be okay, she'll just need a lot of rest." He says.

"I'll stay in here with Tyson, keep an eye out." Jessie volunteers.

"Okay." Derek nods.

She turns back to Ashlyn as the others leave. Ashlyn looks as though she might already be asleep.

Tyson moves closer to his Aunt, hugging her arm.

"Is Ash okay?" Tyson asks Jessie, looking at her with big, watery blue eyes.

"She's gonna be okay, Tyson. She just needs to sleep and heal." Jessie tells him. "You should sleep too, I'll be here, watching over you both." She says.

"Okay." Tyson nods.

But Stiles slips back into the room. He goes over and sits beside Jessie.

"What are you doing?" Jessie asks him.

"Uh, today? Was Danny okay?" He asks her. "Was everything all right?"

"Yeah, everything was fine." Jessie nods. "Just.. Girl talk."

"Right." Stiles nods. He still doesn't really understand what the means. Actually, most males don't.

"Stiles?" Scott pokes his head back.

"Sorry, just left my phone. I'm coming." Stiles lies, getting up. He looks at Jessie one more time before disappearing out of the room with Scott.

"Derek, what kind of Alpha can do that?" Isaac asks him. "I thought an Alpha's bite could only turn you, what kind of Alpha can poison you with a bite?" He asks.

"I.. I don't know." Derek says, pacing a little, trying to rack his brain for some kind of theory. "I have some books, we should read through them, see what we can find out."

"Maybe we should head over now." Stiles suggests, looking at Scott.

"Can we?" Scott asks, looking at Derek.

Derek nods.

"Yeah. Both of you, Danny and Isaac too, you should go." Derek says. He meets Isaac's eyes. Isaac looks back at him, giving him a nod.

"What about you?" Scott asks the Alpha.

"I'm gonna stay with Jessie." Derek says, because he doesn't feel comfortable with leaving her with only a human and an injured were-jaguar and a toddler. If that thing came here, no one could protect her. He needs to stay.

Scott nods in understanding.

"Okay, c'mon, guys." Stiles says. "We can all fit in the Jeep."

.

.

 **Black blood! Anyone have any theories about what this Alpha-monster could be? And was that a little bit of wingman-Derek in the end there? :P**

 **Favorite! Follow! Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Oh, my Gosh! I've done it again, made a silly mistake! You may have noticed that in Chapter 1 I said both McCall parents had passed, but you may have also noticed that I never mentioned Melissa's death in the fic and I even brought her in last chapter. I'm so sorry about this, but when I first posted this fic I was supposed to change that detail in the first chapter because I knew I wanted to bring Melissa in to be the nurse hero and to even almost be like a motherly figure to Ashlyn since she's got no family aside Tyson, and I haven't explored much OC / Melissa relationships, so I wanted to subtly do that. Which is why I never talked about her death within the fic. SO... Melissa is _alive_ , Rafael is not though, he did pass when they were younger. The reason Scott, Stiles and Danny all live together is because the Sheriff and Melissa are married and living together. Gosh, I'm so, so, so sorry! I was supposed to change that but completely overlooked it! I will be re-reading and re-reading again all my chapters before I post them and I'll try my hardest not to make these mistakes again, I'm sorry again, readers! But don't fret, I've gone back to Chapter 1 and fixed up that beginning note!**

 **Anyway.. Onto some positivity!**

 **jayesh dms - Thank you :) Lydia won't be a main character, she's just mentioned as far as I've planned. Yes, Scott will probably be single :) As for a timeline.. I don't really have one. I'd say after season 1 since Derek's the Alpha. I will!**

 **Hawk-eye-33 - You're welcome, I'm glad to hear you're okay :) Oh cool, let me know when you have some guesses! Hehe, I love the cute innocence of Stessie and Disaac! Yes..I made another mistake as you can tell by the first note :( Gosh, I'm just so glad you found it because I completely ran past it when I was posting this, so thanks for that :) Thank you, that's sweet! I've wanted to do my own work but haven't gotten around to it just yet. I'm finishing high school this year actually, unsure about what to major in for college next year, or maybe even the year after if I decide to have a gap year and travel :) Damn.. Well, make the most of the summer while it lasts! I'm glad you like my OCs :) Will do!**

 **.**

 _Thursday 19th May - Early Hours Of The Morning_

Derek and Scott leave the Hale house before the sun's even up, not long after everyone announced they were going home to sleep, too tired to keep their eyes open.

In fact, they're silent until the sun starts to break through the airy darkness of the sky.

"Did you find anything in those books?" Derek asks the beta.

"No." Scott shakes his head, disappointed. "Nothing useful."

"We'll find something." Derek says, seeing the look on Scott's face.

Scott just nods. Then he sees it.

"This is where we found Ashlyn and Tyson." Scott says, stopping next to the stump, still stained with some of her dark blood, soaked into the wood.

Derek stops too, looking at the blood. He thinks back to the blood he saw on the floor with her vomit, _that she was laying next to, unconscious_.

Scott looks at the Alpha when he doesn't do anything. He sees Derek's just looking at the blood, his brow pulled into a frown.

"How's she doing?" Scott asks.

Scott's voice pulls Derek out of it, the Alpha turning to the beta.

"Not too good." Derek says. "Jessie and Danny are looking after her and Tyson today."

"You look worried for her." Scott comments.

Derek exhales, and starts scanning the area, wondering which way to go.

Scott doesn't bring up the fact that Derek didn't answer him when he clearly heard what he said.

"I can't pick up a scent." Derek says.

"Neither can I." Scott says, sniffing at the air. "Maybe we should head back, explore our woods a little more, then head home." Scott suggests.

"Yeah." Derek nods. "I'll come out again later."

"Isaac and I will come too." Scott says.

"It won't be 'till late. It's fine, I can go alone." Derek declines.

"No, this thing has only killed at night so far. There's no way you're going alone." Scott says before he starts walking back the way they came.

Derek just watches him, surprised, but Scott cares, he's not letting some beast tear Derek to shreds too. Scott's not even sure tearing Derek to shreds is possible, but he's not willing to let that monster test it out either.

.

"You really didn't have to stay." Jessie says, glancing at Stiles. "Everyone else went home an hour ago. You should have too, you need to sleep, Stiles." She says, because his eyes are heavy and red.

"And you? You need sleep too." He says.

"I'm fine." She says, looking back at Ashlyn, but her eyes are heavier than his are.

"No, you're exhausted." Stiles says. "And so am I." He yawns, covering his mouth. "But someone needs to stay up with you."

"I'm fine, Stiles, really. Go on home. You don't need to keep checking on me, I'm okay." She says.

"It's not about checking on you anymore." He says.

Jessie turns and looks at him, wondering what he means by that.

They hear the front door open.

"Jess?"

"Up here, Derek." Jessie says, hearing her brother's voice. "Derek's here, you can go now. Please, you're so tired."

Derek comes in. He sees Stiles.

"What are you still doing here?" Derek asks him.

"Making sure Jessie didn't fall asleep." Stiles says. "But you're here now so, that's my cue." He stands up. He knows Derek isn't going to let him stay and camp out with Jessie anyway.

"Well.. Thanks for keeping an eye out." Derek says.

Stiles nods.

"I'll see you later, Jessie." He says.

"Bye, Stiles." She says.

He leaves, going down to his Jeep.

"You think he'll be okay to drive?" Jessie asks, frowning a little.

"Maybe not." Derek says. "I'll take him home. You okay to stay up just a little longer?" He asks her.

"Sure." Jessie nods.

Derek nods and goes after Stiles, because he looked far too tired to get behind the wheel of a car.

.

About 20 minutes later, Derek comes home, and he goes back upstairs. He finds Jessie's still in the room with Ashlyn and Tyson. Tyson's fast asleep next to Ashlyn, who is asleep too. And Jessie's about ready to doze off too.

"Jessie."

Jessie jolts awake properly and turns to look at her brother.

"Oh, hey." She says sleepily.

"I didn't get to ask before, is she doing better?" He asks, walking over to Jessie.

Jessie shrugs, rubbing her tired eyes.

"I don't know. She's only really slept." Jessie says. "I'm worried whatever Deaton gave her isn't going to help."

"He knows what he's doing, Jessie."

"Yeah, I know." Jessie nods. "But.. Then why isn't she up and moving?"

"I don't know."

Jessie sighs.

"Go to bed, Jess. You're exhausted." Derek says.

"But someone should stay up with her, in case something happens to her." Jessie says.

"I'll stay up with them." Derek says. His sister's far too tired to keep going, he needs to take over.

"No, you're tired too-"

"Jessie. Go to sleep." He says in a softer voice.

She exhales and nods, because she's _very_ tired, too tired to argue with Derek.

Derek watches as Jessie stands and leaves the room to go to the bathroom to brush her teeth, throwing a 'G'night' over her shoulder. He looks back at Ashlyn, the girl still looking paler than she should be, still looking weaker than she should appear. Derek chews on the thick, airy silence in the room. Finally, he sighs and sits down where his sister just was. He looks at the sleeping girl again. Even though they've had some problems, this feels wrong. She's not moving or speaking, she's just laying there, and it doesn't feel right for him or anyone in the house.

"I.." He doesn't know what the hell he's doing. "I shouldn't have said those things to you about the attacks. I had no idea about your pack." He says. Maybe he can't give her a good apology when he's face to face with her, because he isn't very good with words, but he can try now.

Jessie comes out of the bathroom, about to go into her bedroom to go to sleep. But her footsteps slow to a stop when she hears her brother's voice.

"I said I was sorry." Derek says. Jessie sneakily approaches the room again and pokes her head in, just a little, and sure enough, just as she thought, Derek's talking to Ashlyn. "I meant it too."

Jessie just looks at him, and decides not to come out of the shadows. She can see he is concerned about her, even though he tries to hide it. She waits, but he says nothing else, just looks out the window at the rain outside. She slips back down the hall again, going into her bedroom.

.

 _Late That Night_

"Lock the doors, all of you need to stay inside." Derek says, looking between the three humans. " _Do not go outside_." He says firmly.

"We won't." Danny says.

"Yeah, I'll keep them all inside." Stiles assures the wolf.

"Good." Derek says. His eyes fall to his sister. "Keep an eye on those two." He says. He doesn't have to say who.

"I will." Jessie nods, she's taken on tending to Ashlyn, and looking after Tyson all on her own. If she has to stay put, and they won't let her fight, this is how she helps.

"Let's head out." Derek says to the wolves.

Isaac goes over to Danny.

"Uh.. Be careful, okay?" He says to the girl.

"Yeah." Danny nods. "You too. Come back safe." She says.

Isaac nods. He goes to leave but Danny catches his hand, squeezing it gently. Isaac's squeezes her hand back before they slip apart and Isaac goes with Derek and Scott.

.

Derek notices how Scott keeps throwing dirty looks at Isaac. He notices how Isaac sees them, but pretends he doesn't.

Until Scott can't keep quiet anymore.

"What the hell are you doing?" Scott asks, stopping in front of Isaac.

"What are you talking about?" Isaac asks him.

"Don't play stupid with me, Isaac, you _know_ what I'm talking about." Scott says harshly.

Derek stops, turning to the two. He knew something like this would happen, because they all saw what happened before, he just hoped it wouldn't because they have more important things to do.

"That's my sister." Scott says, stepping forward.

"Scott, stop." Derek says. They don't have time for this.

"You don't own her." Isaac says, stepping forward too.

"She's _16_. Stay away from her." Scott says.

"And if I don't-"

"Enough!" Derek raises his voice, but he's ignored again.

"I'll-" Scott tries.

"Quiet!" Derek's suddenly at their side, his voice a hushed whisper, grabbing them both by the arms.

His urgency gets their attention.

"Go." Derek says, shoving them in the other direction.

"What-"

"Derek-"

"Run!" He orders, eyes flashing red.

Then comes the vicious growls and the red eyes.

"Go!" Derek enforces, standing his own ground. "Get out of here, _now_!"

As much as they want him to follow, they can't make him. Both betas turn and they flee, leaving Derek behind as the Alpha stands his ground, shifting and growling back at the beast that steps out of the shadows and into the moonlight.

Derek's never seen anything like this before. In fact, it's so fast, he barely gets a good look at it. All he knows for sure is he sees red eyes staring back at him, so he roars and he runs at it.

.

"Lock the door, lock the door." Scott says.

Jessie quickly locks the door. She turns to them, then frowns.

"Where's Derek?" She asks them.

Isaac and Scott share a look, catching their breath.

"Where is Derek?!" Jessie raises her voice.

"He went after it, told us to go." Isaac tells her.

Jessie's face falls and her stomach flips.

"You fucking cowards." She scowls them, turning the lock on the door with the intention to go get him herself.

"Whoa, no!" Stiles pushes through them, grabbing the girl's arm.

"Get off me!" She snaps, shoving him back.

Scott's about to intervene but Stiles wraps his arms around Jessie's waist, lifting her up and literally _moving_ her away from the door.

Scott locks it again.

"Stiles, put me down!" Jessie snaps.

"When you're calm and thinking clearly." Stiles says, taking her up the stairs to her bedroom. "Remember what I said? He'll come back, Jessie. And I promised to keep you inside, so you're not leaving."

"If he doesn't come back in the next 5 minutes, I'm going to kill all three of you!" She warns them.

Isaac swallows. As close as he and Jessie are, like brother and sister, Jessie's always intimated him in a weird way, maybe because she's Derek's little sister. And like this, when she's almost crying, and she's worrying out of her mind, and when she's beyond angry at them all..he's a little worried himself.

Danny walks over to Isaac and Scott.

"Are you two okay?" She asks them.

"We're fine." Scott says shortly, grabbing her arm and taking her into the living room, away from Isaac.

Isaac and Danny's eyes meet. Danny frowns, but Isaac just watches as Scott takes her away from him. It's obvious Scott's not happy about what's developing between his sister and his friend. Isaac makes a note to himself to talk to Scott about it, just not right now.

But all attention is drawn to the front door when the door handle rattles then there's heavy banging.

"It's Derek." Isaac says, smelling his scent then rushing to the door to open it.

The Alpha staggers in, pushing the door shut again, leaning against it, sounding like he's winded. And when his arm moves from his chest, they see why. A long, deep slash marks his chest, bleeding and staining his shirt.

"Stiles! Jessie!" Scott calls.

Jessie shoves Stiles into the wall, ducking past him.

"Sneaky, little.." Stiles mumbles, rushing downstairs too.

"Derek?!" Jessie says urgently, running over to him.

"Jess.. I.." He stumbles a little.

She sees the mark and her face falls into a sad frown.

"Derek?"

And stumbles again, but Jessie's there to catch him, and slowly, with difficulty as he's twice her weight, get him over to the sofa, laying his head in her lap.

Isaac moves forward to help, but Stiles catches his arm. Isaac looks at him and Stiles shakes his head.

"It's healing." Stiles says, he can see it, they all can. It's slow, but it's happening.

"Let's give them some space." Scott says.

"Jess, I'll take care of Ashlyn and Tyson." Danny tells her, heading for the stairs.

Jessie nods gratefully, then looks back down at Derek. He just needs time and space to heal.

"I'll hang around, just in case." Isaac says.

Stiles nods, and he and Scott make themselves scarce, going upstairs too.

Isaac hangs back in the living room.

Derek just lays there, feeling his muscles and skin pull back together slowly.

"You scared me, you ass." Jessie says, brushing his hair back, looking down at him.

Derek looks up at her, seeing the tears in her eyes, she was really scared.

"Sorry." He says, his voice not holding the usual strength in it. He thought he could take the other Alpha on, he was wrong. It was much stronger than him. And it was fast. He isn't even that sure what he saw.

"You came back, so it's okay." Jessie says, sniffling, clear her throat. She doesn't want him to know she was upset, but he already knows. "Just relax, heal." She says.

He nods a little, letting his eyes shut.

"Is she okay?" He speaks though, eyes still closed.

"Who?" Jessie asks him.

"Ashlyn." He says.

"She's a little better, not much change, but it's something." Jessie says. "She's awake more now, which is good."

He stays quiet.

"You care about them." Jessie says in a whisper, because it's for his ears only.

He still stays quiet, Jessie almost thinks he's fallen asleep.

"If you did.. That'd be okay. It's good." She keeps talking in a whisper anyway. "I want her to stay, we all do, even you. She's gonna be pack eventually, right? So, it's good to care. I care. Isaac cares. Danny cares. I'm sure Stiles and Scott do too." She says. "And I think you do as well." She says.

He doesn't move or say anything, Jessie's pretty sure he's sleeping, and she's okay with it.

.

.

 **Anyone have ideas about what this monster is? What do you think's going to happen?**

 **Favorite! Follow! Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**momentum123 - Thanks :) Here's some more!**

 **Hawk-eye-33 - I wonder :P I like writing the siblings as well :) Oh, thanks for that, I'll try not to make anymore mistakes though :)**

 **.**

 _A Couple Days Later - Saturday 21st May - Lunchtime_

"Hey.." Ashlyn knocks on Derek's bedroom door, even though it's open.

Derek looks up.

"Hey." He says. "You're up." He says, surprised, because she's been bed-riddened since she passed out. But it seems she's up and moving today.

"Yeah." She nods. "I feel better too." She says, because she can move without too much pain, and she hasn't gotten dizzy since last night.

"That's good."

"Yeah." She nods again. "Um.." She looks at her feet, shy, nervous. She looks up again, taking a step into his room. "I, uh.. Jessie told me what happened, how you acted fast and got Deaton and Melissa here." She says.

"..Jessie helped, Isaac too." Derek says, trying to brush it off.

"Yeah, but it was your quick thinking." Ashlyn says. "I guess what I'm trying to say is.. Thank you. And I forgive you." She says, forcing herself to look at him now. "I get it. You were worried about your pack and about the people of this town. I understand why you did what you did, and you apologized, so.. So, I forgive you. Are we even?" She asks him.

Derek nods.

"Yeah. We're even." He agrees.

"I thanked Jessie too, for looking after me." Ashlyn tells him. "She's an amazing girl, you're lucky you've got her as a sister." Ashlyn says. Her voice wavers a little, her mind thinking of her own sister whom she lost with the rest of her pack.

"I know." Derek nods, and he notices the change in pitch of her voice, and his eyes narrow just a little.

Ashlyn quickly leaves after that and Derek doesn't understand why, but he lets her go, she's had a rough few days.

.

Ashlyn's in the living room area with Tyson, it's good to see them not up in the room for once, when Scott comes over.

"Hey. What's going on?" Jessie asks him as she lets him inside.

"Nothing, I just wanted to come by. I heard Ashlyn was doing better so I thought I'd stop in." Scott says.

"That's nice of you." Jessie says, studying him. She knows it's not just that that he's here for. "Isaac's here too, just, you know, if you wanted to see him." She tests the water. She saw Isaac squeeze Danny's hand the other night, and she also saw the look on Scott's face when he saw it happen.

"Oh, he is?" Scott asks innocently. "Yeah, I might say a few words before I go take my Mom lunch at the hospital." He says.

"Heh." Jessie chuckles a little. "Well, I'm going to make lunch so..go hard." She says before going into the kitchen.

Scott walks into the living room, where he can hear Tyson laughing. It's actually quite a pleasant sound after what's happened and how he's been scared and stuck to Ashlyn's side like glue.

"Hey." He says, making them both look at him.

"Hi." Ashlyn says.

"I just wanted to say.. I'm glad you're okay, that you're up and moving." He says to her.

"Oh.. Thanks." She says, surprised to hear him say something so nice to her. She's still getting used to Jessie being nice to her.

"And I brought Tyson something." He says, kneeling down next to the boy. He brings something from behind his back but pauses when he sees her eyes are glowing green. "Right. Forgot." He says, more to himself. "It's nothing bad, I promise. Just something for him to play with." Scott says to her. She sniffs at the air, detects no bad smell, so she nods. "Here." He slowly brings it out and puts it down in front of Tyson.

"A colorin' book." Tyson smiles widely.

"Yeah." Scott nods. "Here's some coloring pencils too." He says, putting them down as well.

"Cool." Tyson says, excited. He didn't have much in the way of toys while he lived in the wild. Well, he did have one, he had this stuffed tiger his Mom gave him, but that seems to be gone with his parents and that pack.

"What do you say, Tyson?" Ashlyn says.

"T'anks." Tyson says.

"You're welcome." Scott says.

Ashlyn looks at him now.

"Thank you." She says. She's getting more and more used to saying that were it's due.

"It's okay, I'm glad you're better." Scott says. "You worried us, all of us, especially your housemates." He says.

"I know." Ashlyn nods. "I didn't know it was that bad."

"Is what Deaton gave you still doing it's job?"

"Yes. The pain's not so bad, getting better." She nods.

"Good." Scott says. "Well, I gotta go talk to Isaac then get to the hospital. Remember, my Mom's around if you need her to look at something for you."

"Okay." Ashlyn nods.

"Okay." Scott says too, and stands up, heading up the stairs. He goes to Isaac's door and knocks.

"Come in."

So Scott goes in, and Isaac's already looking at him, because he could smell it was Scott. Scott closes the door behind him, closing them in his room. He crosses his arms over his chest.

"I'd like an explanation." Scott says simply.

"Okay." Isaac agrees. He knew Scott would find out eventually, because Isaac wants to be with Danny, he's come to realize that's what he wants. So Scott's going to be in that mix, so why lie? "I like Danny."

"Danny's my little sister." Scott says without missing a beat.

"I know." Isaac says.

"And you're my friend, you're pack, you're like a brother." Scott says.

"I know." Isaac says again. "But I really like her, Scott. I can't pretend that I don't anymore." He tries to speak clearly and strongly, but his neck's all hot and for once he's a little nervous in Scott's presence.

"I'd like if you slept on this, thought it through, thought of the pros and cons of being with her and what happens once you break up. Because there _will_ be cons if you were to date and then break up." Scott says calmly. " _Really_ think about it, Isaac. We'll talk again soon. I have to go take my Mom lunch."

"Okay." Is all Isaac says, because he's sure there was some kind of hint to back-off of Danny, or maybe even a threat threaded between his words and the way he said it.

"Give it a really good think." Scott says again. "Bye."

"Bye."

And then Isaac's in his room alone again. And as Scott said, he begins to think about it. He wants to say he thinks of the pros and cons, but right now, he only sees the pros. And there's no way he's calling off going to the party with Danny tonight, he almost choked on his own tongue just trying to _ask_ her to go with him. So, sorry, Scott, but no way. Tonight's still a go, not that Scott knows about that anyway.

.

 _Later That Night_

Derek pulls into the gas station, searching for his wallet.

"I'll pay." Jessie says, taking it from his hand when he finds it.

"Gas only." Derek says as she gets out, a smile dancing on her lips.

Jessie can already taste the caffeine.

Derek gets out to pump the gas, and Ashlyn stays in the Camaro with Tyson. Derek does a quick glance into the backseat to check on them before shutting his door. Jessie wanted to get them out of the house, since they've been cooped up, and Ashlyn's been bed-riddened, so she invited them to come for a ride to the grocery store with her and Derek. Not much fun, no, but it'll be good for them to get some fresh air.

"Stretch." Tyson says, kicking his legs out.

"Here, c'mon." Ashlyn gets him out of the seat, getting out of the car.

Derek looks at them, and Ashlyn meets him eyes.

"Stretch." Tyson says, walking around the pumps and back to Ashlyn.

Derek observes them, until he hears the ding. He puts the nozzle back on the hook, looking up to spot Jessie walking out, a hot coffee in her hands and his wallet in her other hand.

"Thanks." Jessie smirks, tossing it to him.

Derek rolls his eyes, slipping it back into his pocket.

The he hears it, a familiar sound, with familiar scents. In other words, _bad news_.

"Get in the car." Derek says to them.

"Derek?" Jessie frowns, hearing the urgency in his voice.

"Car, now." He orders, keeping his eyes ahead as a burgundy Range Rover comes to a stop in front of the Camaro. "Now." He says, looking at them with glowing red eyes.

"C'mon." Jessie sees them too. She grabs Ashlyn's sleeve and pulls her towards the car.

Ashlyn grabs Tyson's hand, pulling him back into the car too.

"What's going on?" Ashlyn asks, looking at Jessie, then looking out the windshield again.

"Argents." Jessie says, her voice bitter.

Ashlyn smells the wolfsbane as three people get out of the car.

"Hale." The oldest of the three speaks. He has blue eyes and slowly greying light brown hair.

Behind him come two younger people, a woman and a man. Ashlyn can tell they're both older than she is, by at least a few years.

The blonde woman flips her hair over her shoulder, her eyes set hard.

The other man's hands are in his pockets, his eyes watching Derek too.

Derek looks between the three Argents, turning his body to face them.

"What is it, family day?" The woman asks with a mocking smirk as she sees his car is full.

The younger man looks over to, his eyes finding Ashlyn.

The she-jaguar looks down, feeling a shiver running up her spine from the man's gaze.

"Oh, I forgot, you barely have any family left." The blonde taunts.

Derek's jaw tightens, and his hand closes into a fist.

The oldest man looks at Derek's fist, then up at his face again.

"I'm sure you've heard about the murders." He speaks.

Derek nods.

"You and your little wolf pack wouldn't have anything to do with that, would you?" The younger man asks, his eyes narrowing at Derek.

Derek's eyes fall to the Argent siblings' cousin, the Argent's newest hunter to join their group of Argents and a couple other hunters.

"Is that a yes, or a no?" The oldest man asks when Derek doesn't answer the other man.

Derek stares at the other man for a few more seconds before his eyes return to the leader.

"No." Derek says.

"So, it's just another 'animal attack'?" The woman asks.

Derek doesn't answer her either.

"Stuck up canine." She scoffs like she couldn't care less that he ignored her as well.

"Are we done here?" Derek asks, looking at the oldest man.

"Hmm." The man smiles a little, like Derek's impatience is amusing. "For now, sure." He nods.

Derek turns back to the Camaro, opening the driver's door. He doesn't want Jessie, or even Ashlyn and Tyson, around the hunters anymore than necessary.

"Get those new additions in your pack home safe." The younger man comments, eyes falling from Derek to Ashlyn again.

Derek swallows back his need to say something back, or make a threat because he doesn't like the way the guy is looking at them.

He just gets back into the Camaro, starting it up.

They return to their vehicle too.

Derek pulls back out onto the road, an odd silence over the car.

"Who are the Argents?" Ashlyn speaks up.

The Hale siblings share a look, a long sigh passing under Derek's breath.

"The Argents are a hunting family in Beacon Hills. The oldest guy, that's Chris. He follows the rules. The other two, that's his sister, Kate and their cousin, Zak. I have nothing good to say about either of them." Jessie says coldly. "All they do is kill and.. They're disgusting people."

"Hunters? Like.. _hunter_ hunters?" Ashlyn asks, a frown coming to her face.

"Yes, Ashlyn." Derek nods, glancing at her in his mirror. "Hunters like the ones that want people like you and me dead."

And it's quiet after that, Ashlyn drinking in those words.

.

 _Later_

"Okay, he's gone into his room, I think he's going to bed. C'mon, now's our chance." Jessie says, seeing Derek's gone to bed. "C'mon." She grabs Isaac's arm and they climb out the window, going down the fire escape.

This can't be good.

.

Danny looks at her phone, biting her lip nervously. Isaac said he'd be here 10 minutes ago. She sighs, and she's about to leave the party and go home but then she sees them.

"Hey!" Jessie grins, walking over to her with Isaac.

Danny smiles, feeling a whole lot better.

"Hey." She says back. "Hi, Isaac."

"Hi, Danny. Sorry we're late, Derek was up later than we thought." Isaac says.

"No, it's okay." Danny brushes it off.

"Well.. You look pretty." Isaac says, seeing she's more dressed up as usual.

When Danny blushes, Jessie takes that as her cue to leave.

"I'm gonna get a drink. I'll find you two later." She says with a grin before walking away.

"You want a drink?" Isaac asks Danny once it's just them.

"Oh, sure." She says.

"Okay, c'mon." Isaac leads the way, the two walking over to the drinks table. Jessie's already found people from school that she knows, so she's off somewhere, talking to them. "Here." He opens a bottle for her, handing it over.

"Thanks." She takes it with a soft smile.

"No problem." He holds a bottle in his own hands to drink, despite the inability to get any effects from it. But the cold bottle is making his nervous-sweated palms settle a little. He's trying so hard to be a gentleman, to do everything right, not rush anything, not do this, not do that-

"Isaac?"

He looks at Danny and she's frowning at him.

"Are you okay?" She asks him.

"Oh, um.." He swallows and nods. "Yeah. Sorry, just.."

"..nervous?" Danny says. He nods, a little embarrassed. "Me too.." She admits quietly.

"Oh." He says, surprised. She seems to be more confident than he is. "You wanna take a walk?" He asks her, because the crowd is kind of pressing on those nerves too.

"Yeah." She nods, because she'd like to spend some time with _him_ , not surrounded by all these drunk teenagers.

Jessie peeks around, and sees them walk off together, and she smiles. But then when she spots a familiar haircut that isn't so much a buzzcut anymore, her smile falls. Oh, God. They didn't think about this. Scott and Stiles are here. Oh, no. Jessie moves over to Stiles.

Stiles spots her.

"Jessie, hey." He says, a small smile coming to his lips. "I didn't know you were coming?"

"Oh, yeah, um.. I was bored at home." She says. "Uh, where's Scott?" She asks, hoping he hasn't found Danny and Isaac.

"Oh, he's at home. Studying. He didn't want to come out tonight." Stiles tells her and she sighs in relief under her breath. "The way he was talking, he'll be locked in his room most the night."

"Oh, good."

"Good?"

"I mean.. Good, as in.. As in good that he's studying, you know? It's good." She tries to save herself.

"Okay.." Stiles nods slowly. "Who are you here with anyway?" He asks her.

"Um, no one. Just me." She lies, covering for Isaac and Danny.

"Derek let you out?" Stiles asks, sipping from a can of cola because he has to drive home later.

"Oh.. Not really." Jessie says, trying not to smile.

"Ah. I see. You snuck out, didn't you?" Stiles asks her.

"Yeah." She nods, and then they both chuckle. "What about you?" She asks, drinking from a bottle of fruity tasting liquor.

"Same, well, kind of." He says. "Dad and Melissa are having a date night, went out to dinner, so I wasn't exactly sneaking out since they weren't home for me to sneak."

"I like your thinking." Jessie chuckles. "Is, uh, Danny at home?" She dares to ask.

"Yeah." Stiles nods. "Wanted to go to bed early or something, disappeared into her room after dinner. You know, I'm surprised she isn't with you."

"Oh.. No. I went out on a wimp so she doesn't know. She'll be asleep, so I'll leave her to it." Jessie says.

"Good idea." Stiles nods, sipping at his cola again. "Well.. I guess that means you and me can hang out, right?" He asks, fidgeting a little.

"Yeah." She nods, a blush crawling up her neck that she blatantly _refuses_ to let meet her cheeks. "Me and you, sounds fun." She tries not to cringe at how stupid she sounds. But Stiles just smiles, so she feels better.

"Do you dance, by any chance?" Stiles asks her. "I mean, I know Derek probably doesn't, but it doesn't run in the family, does it?"

"Only you would ask me to dance by subtly making fun of my brother." Jessie says, amused.

"Well.. Heh." Stiles gives an awkward smile. "So.. Is that a yes?"

"Yeah." She nods. "That is a yes." Maybe the fruity drink is giving her some confidence after all.

.

A couple hours pass, and Isaac and Danny find they haven't come back out to the backyard of Lydia's place for the party. They sit out the front, watching the stars. Somewhere along the line, Danny's head has come to rest on his shoulder, and he doesn't mind at all.

Stiles and Jessie gave up dancing a while ago, and have taken to sitting down on one of the outdoor sofas, Jessie's side on with her feet up on it so she can look at and talk to Stiles easier. But Stiles is just looking at her, as she rambles. They've both had more to drink than they should have, especially Stiles seeing as he's supposed to be driving home. Looks like that won't be happening. They're tipsy, but entertained with each other.

"I don't know, I always knew about werewolves, you know? From the moment I could understand what they were, my Mom told me about them, she showed me them. Well, actually Derek showed me by shifting in front of me." She continues to ramble, and Stile _s_ finds he really likes it despite it annoying him when he knows he's the one doing it.

"And what was your reaction?" Stiles asks her.

"My Mom told me that I freaked out and started crying, 'cause I was only 3 or 4, and I ran away from him. I hid from him all day. I think it took about 3 days for me to kind of accept it and not be scared anymore." Jessie tells him.

"I bet that made Derek feel bad."

"Yeah, I guess." She nods. "But he didn't mean to scare me, it just happened. But we've been close since then so it's okay."

"Yeah, you guys are pretty close." Stiles nods. "It must be cool, having a sibling, and one that's older. You know, someone to look up to, someone to have your back. It must be nice."

"It is." Jessie nods. "But.. You have Scott, I mean, I know he's not blood or older, but he's still your brother, right?"

"Yeah, he's my best bud. My best bud brother." Stiles says with a smile.

Jessie chuckles.

"I think you've had a little too much to drink." She says, because he's slurring his words a little, and people don't go around calling people their 'best bud brother'. Jessie thinks it's sweet though.

"Yeah, maybe." Stiles agrees, looking at the bottle down by his feet.

"Well, what about you?" Jessie asks him. "How'd you react when you found out about werewolves?" Still though, she sips her drink.

"Well.. I kind of figured it out myself, you know? After Scott got that weird bite and started acting out, I did some research. I put it together." Stiles tells her.

"Wow, that smart, huh?" Jessie asks.

"Hell yeah." Stiles grins, and they both laugh. Jessie don't even realize her knees are resting against his ribs because they're sitting so close. And Stiles barely registers that his hand's resting on her knee as they laugh together. "I remember, I told Scott and he didn't believe me. Well, until Derek showed him a little something too."

"Always the shower, my brother is." Jessie says.

"Yeah, not much of a talker."

"He can be, with me." Jessie says. "The more comfortable he gets with you all, the more he'll come out of his shell."

"I noticed the same with you." Stiles says.

"Me?" She asks.

"Yeah." Stiles nods. "I mean.. We barely spoke in the beginning, the other day you were shoving me out of your way, now look at us." He says. "Like best buds."

"Danny would be jealous if she heard you say that, so would Scott." Jessie points out, but she's smiling too.

"Well.. You can be my best girl bud then." He suggest.

"And you'll be my best guy bud." She says.

"Yeah." Stiles nods. "God.. We sound like drunk idiots." He chuckles.

"Yeah, I know." She laughs lightly too, and he smiles at the sound, because he's come to really like it. "Hey, if you can't drive, how are you getting home?" She asks him.

"Oh.. I'll just sleep in the Jeep. Then I'll drive home in the morning. Better safe than sorry, right?"

"Yeah." She nods. She looks at her phone, checking the time. "Oh, crap. It's so late." She says it's after midnight. "I didn't even realize."

"How are you getting home?" Stiles asks her.

"Well.." Jessie wants to say she's going to walk with Isaac, but she knows she can't throw him and Danny under the bus, and she's not even sure where those two are anyway. "I'm not sure. I'll walk, I guess."

"By yourself? Jessie, no way. Remember what happened to Derek? No. No way, it's too dangerous." He shakes his head.

"I don't really have an option, Stiles. I have to get back before he realizes I'm gone." She says.

"Stay in the Jeep with me, I'll get you home before he's up, I promise." He says.

"Sleep in the Jeep..with you?" She repeats.

"Yeah." He nods. "I mean.. If you want.. I.. Heh." He scratches the back of his neck, and suddenly his face feels hot. "Like, we'll sleep in different seats, you know? You can have the backseat, because it's bigger and comfy- Oh! Not saying you need lots of room because you're big or anything, just that-" He rambles like he does when he gets nervous. "Um.. I'm just gonna stop." He decides out-loud.

Jessie keeps looking at him and he grows more and more nervous, and his cheeks more and more red. Until Jessie starts to laugh because he amuses her a lot, her own cheeks flustered too. After a few seconds, Stiles finds himself joining in.

"Okay, I'll stay with you." Jessie agrees. "And yes, I'll have the backseat, I've got dibbs." She says.

"I couldn't ever break a dibbs." Stiles says, smiling.

She smiles too and brings her phone out to quickly text Danny and tell her she's staying over at Lydia's, she doesn't mention Stiles and the Jeep though.

"Just setting an alarm, just in case." Jessie covers.

Stiles nods. Danny texts back to say she'll walk home with Isaac later, so Jessie leaves them to theirs. No, it's not safe to walk home alone, but Danny will be safe with Isaac. And later will probably mean daybreak, and with this thing killing only at night, they should be fine.

"Sorry, just checking a couple things too. But all done." Jessie says, putting her phone away again.

"No, it's fine." Stiles assures her.

"You know.. You're cute when you ramble like that." She says. Maybe the alcohol given her more confidence than she thought.

"You're cute when you ramble too." Stiles says. No, maybe the alcohol's given them _both_ more confidence than they thought. Stiles' yawn breaks their eye contact and their still reddening cheeks. "You ready to turn in? I am."

"Yeah." She nods.

"Okay, c'mon." He pats her knee and they both get to their feet. He catches her arm when she stumbles a little. "Whoa. Maybe _you've_ had a little much, huh?" He teases.

"Maybe." She agrees. "Lead the way, best guy bud." She grins.

Stiles laughs.

"This way, best girl bud."

It's settled. They're going to wake up with killer hangovers in the morning.

.

.

 **So, most of the teenagers have snuck out! Naughty :P Will their parents/guardians find out? What do we think of my OC Zak Argent? But yay, Derek and Ashlyn are on much better terms now!**

 **Favorite! Follow! Review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hawk-eye-33 - I agree, I think Chris is okay but the rest suck :P Hehe, we'll see! Thanks, will do :)**

 **jayesh dms - Thanks :) I really like that idea, but I think I want to use it a little later on, once Stessie's more established :)**

 **BlueAngel2213 - Thanks :)**

 **.**

 _Sunday 22nd May - Morning_

Even though the night's events are a little hazy, Jessie can't get Stiles out of her head. She remembers how they hung out, how they talked, and especially how he made her laugh. Then, when they got to the Jeep, he pulled his hoodie off and gave it to her to keep her warm. And, God..it was so sweet.

Angry green eyes peer up at the door as she walks through it, Stiles already having dropped her off. "Where the hell have you been?" Derek stands up, dropping his book onto the coffee table with a heavy thud that makes Jessie jump.

She looks over to the other sofa, and finds Isaac's there. He must have sneaked Danny home and gotten home himself before Derek could realize they were gone. Well.. Before he could realize Isaac was gone. Jessie knew this would happen. "Um.." She swallows. "I was out last night.. I couldn't get home until this morning." She says.

"You went out? Jessie, you can't go out after dark with this thing out there. It's killed people already, do you understand that?!" He lectures. Jessie just looks down at her shoes and says nothing. "What were you thinking? What.." Then a smell hits Derek's nose, making his eyebrows rise. "Why do you smell like _boy_?" He asks her, unable to decipher it's Stiles' scent right this minute, it isn't strong enough as she returned the hoodie when he dropped her home.

"Um.." She stutters again, and doesn't know what to tell him.

The older Hale steps closer to her and she's never felt so interrogated in her life. "Get out." He says, glancing at Isaac. Jessie gives Isaac pleading eyes but there's no way Isaac is sticking around. He gets up and all but scrambles to his bedroom. Traitor. Derek looks back at Jessie. "Who is he?"

"He's not anyone, it's not what you think-"

"What is his name?" Derek asks, getting quite impatient.

Jessie shakes her head. "I can't tell you that." She says, knowing he's not going to let it go.

Derek huffs a breath out his nose. "I thought you were better than this, I would never expect this from you-"

"Expect what? I didn't do anything wrong!" She raises her voice, offended, because she knows what he's thinking and that's _insane_. Her and Stiles hung out, there was no intimate touching, no kissing, no _nothing_.

"Out all night, come home in the same clothes, and you did 'nothing wrong'?"

"Stop." Jessie says. "I'm not doing this with you, and I'm not having that conversation with you either." She says, and walks past him. Well, she _tries_ too.

"No, you stop." Derek grabs her arm. "What were you doing last night?" He asks her. She just glares at the ground, and she says nothing. "Who'd you spend the night with?" He asks her. "Jessie, answer me!"

She looks up at him, a glare angry enough to scare a wild wolf away, but not Derek. Her cheeks are bright pink with embarrassment. "Get off me." She spits under her breath, shoving his arm away from her. "Leave me alone." And she walks away from him, going into her own room and locking the door. As she wanted, she didn't throw Stiles under the bus, because Derek would be that bus and he'd surely kill the human. But, she didn't plan for Derek to know any of that either. Oh, how she enjoys her adolescence.

.

 _Later_

When Ashlyn doesn't see Jessie for hours, she decides it's time she steps up. So, she approaches Jessie's room. Jessie's done so much for her, the least Ashlyn can do is check on her for once. She goes over to Jessie's door and brings her fist up to knock. "She won't let you in. Don't bother." Derek says as he passes the she-jaguar.

Ashlyn frowns but knocks on the door anyway. "Um.. It's me. Can I come in?" Ashlyn says. Derek stops and glares when Jessie unlocks her door and lets Ashlyn in before closing and locking it again. He huffs and walks down the stairs. He's going to _murder_ whoever his little sister is 'seeing'. Jessie sits back down on her bed, looking into her lap. "I haven't seen you all day.. What's going on?"

"Derek's being an asshole." She says, louder than necessary, kind of hoping her brother hears her.

Ashlyn looks in the direction Jessie's glaring in, finding nothing there, then looks back at her. "You wanna, um.. Uh.." Ashlyn struggles with the words.

"Talk about it?" Jessie finishes for her.

"Yeah, that." Ashlyn nods. Jessie shakes her head. "Well.. Is there something I can do?" Ashlyn asks, just like Jessie was asking her not long ago.

Jessie shakes her head again. Then her frown softens, and she looks up at the girl, more perk in her face. "Yeah, there is something."

"What is it?" Ashlyn asks her.

"Let's get out of here." Jessie says. "Let's just.. Walk or.. I don't know. Let's just get out of this house for a little while."

"Jessie, I.." Ashlyn knows it's not a good idea, but she understands how the girl feels as well.

"Isaac will watch Tyson if you ask him, then tell Derek you're talking with me privately, and we'll ditch down the fire escape." Jessie says. "C'mon, please? Please?"

Ashlyn exhales.

This can't be good.

.

"What's really going on, Jessie?" Ashlyn asks as they walk through the woods, the grass and trees still wet from the light shower of rain from this morning.

"Nothing." Jessie says, looking ahead of them. "Derek's just..being a big brother, you know, nosy and..demanding. But he's taking it too far."

"There's no such thing." Ashlyn says.

Jessie turns her head to look at the older girl, frowning in confusion. "What?"

"My sister, Tyson's Mom, she watched over me like a hawk when we were younger. She was very protective of me, because she was quite a few years older, so I was the baby. I think she thought I was kind of her baby." Ashlyn doesn't look at Jessie as she speaks about her past, and about her deceased sister. But she does want to help the girl too. "Of course, of pack had female and male jaguars, how else would we procreate and all that, right?" Jessie just nods, not interrupting Ashlyn because this might be the most Jessie's heard Ashlyn speak, and especially about her past. "Anyway, breeding season came and went each year like it always does, except we're were-jaguars, we don't just breed like normal jaguars, it's different. It's like humans, I think. You met someone, get to know them, and..you know."

"Who did you breed with?" Jessie asks her.

"Oh.. Oh, I didn't breed with anyone." Ashlyn says. "Like I said, my sister was very protective. I wasn't to just be used to breed, as she put it. And being the Alpha of our pack, what she said went, you know?"

"So.. You never had pups or a litter..I don't know what to call them." Jessie says.

"We're still half human, Jessie. We had babies, like my sister had Tyson." Ashlyn informs. Jessie nods, because that makes more sense, and seeing as her parents had 4 babies, not pups. Jessie thought maybe it'd be a little different for were-jaguars. Sure, she read up about jaguars and their lifestyle and yada-yada, but it's a little harder to research were-jaguars, as you can imagine. "But, no. I never had any of my own. Maybe that's why I've clung to Tyson so much.. We only have each other and.. I don't want him to get hurt." Ashlyn frowns at the horizon, and Jessie doesn't know what to say to make it go away. The human girl is just blown away that Ashlyn's opening up so much. The two have gotten closer, that's for sure.

"Tyson loves you as much as you love him." Jessie says to her. "And you're strong, he's safe with you, and he's safe with us too. We'll watch over him as well." She tells the older girl, hoping to relief her a little. And it does, because Ashlyn's frown softens a little when she thinks to not long ago when she told Tyson he'd be spending some time with Isaac. Surprisingly, Isaac was as excited as Tyson was. "Did you ever want kids of your own?" Jessie asks her.

"I think so." Ashlyn nods. "I mean.. I had someone, and we..you know. But my sister wasn't happy and..we never saw each other again."

"Why would she do that to you?" Jessie asks. "Why would she send him away?"

"Because your older siblings know what's best for you." Ashlyn says, meeting Jessie's eyes.

"I don't get it."

"A few days later, the same male I was with.. He tried to take another male's mate."

"Oh.." Jessie's mouth falls open a little. Well.. That was an unexpected turn of events.

"He got himself killed for that. It's the way things are. He knew what he was doing was wrong, and he did it anyway. Then he suffered the consequences." Ashlyn says. She feels a soft twang in her chest for the male were-jaguar she spent her first and only _time_ with a couple years ago. And she feels a twang for the baby she could have had if it had come to that. But that's in the past, and things are different now too. "My sister knew he wasn't good for me, and that's why she sent him away. And it was a good move too, because who knows what he could have gotten me into. I could have been buried right beside him." She says.

Jessie swallows. But Derek doesn't know she likes Stiles, so..that doesn't apply to her, right? No, it can't. Stiles is a good guy, he'd wouldn't do anything to hurt Jessie. No.. No. No, that isn't.. No. "Well.. I'm glad your sister acted when she did then."

"Yeah, me too." Ashlyn nods. "Maybe one day you'll appreciate Derek acting on your behalf."

"But.." But Jessie just sighs. "It's not like that."

"I heard the argument this morning, well, some of it." Ashlyn admits.

"It wasn't anything like that, I didn't 'spend the night' with some guy, I.."

"You..?"

"Isaac and I snuck out to Lydia's party. Stiles and Danny were there too. I've been trying to get Isaac and Danny together because they like each other and everything and.. And in between that, I've gotten to know Stiles better and.."

"You were with Stiles last night." Ashlyn concludes.

Jessie sighs again, and nods. "Please don't tell Derek. But I swear, nothing happened. We just talked and hung out. I slept in his Jeep with him because it was too late to walk home and we were both tanked, we couldn't drive. That's all." It feels good to get that out.

"Why didn't you tell Derek that then?" Ashlyn asks her.

"Because.. You know what he's like.. He'll hurt Stiles, and..and I really don't want him to do that." Jessie says. "That or he'll scare Stiles away and I don't want him to do that either because I want to spend more time with Stiles. I.. I like him." Jessie admits. "And if Derek finds out, he'll ruin it for me. He won't mean to, but he will, he'll ruin it and that'll suck."

Ashlyn stops, and Jessie does too. Ashlyn just looks at the girl's face. She's got a slight trace of tears in her eyes from expressing her worries and frustrations. "Jessie.. If you tell him the truth, if you tell him it's Stiles, if you tell him what you just told me, he's not going to do any of that."

"How do you know?" Jessie asks her.

"Because I can see Stiles makes you happy, whether it was just only hanging out. Derek will see that too, and he's your brother, he loves you, he'd never crush something that makes you happy unless he had too. And Stiles is a sweet boy, he doesn't need crushing." Ashlyn says.

Jessie sniffles a little. "You.. You think so?"

"I do." Ashlyn nods.

"You know.. This is nice." Jessie says, gesturing between them. "I haven't had a big sister is a long time and.. You know.. Well.. What I'm trying to say is..it's nice to be able to talk to someone like this." Jessie finally gets it out, unsure how the usually quite closed-off were-jaguar will react.

"Well.. Um.." Ashlyn clears her throat. She hasn't had her sister for a little while, and it's been the hardest time of her life. And this, this thing she has with Jessie..it is nice. "Same." She settles with saying. Jessie nods, because she gets what the older girl's really trying to say. "We should head back before Derek realizes we're gone, then he'd have both our asses."

"Yeah." Jessie nods. They turn around and start walking back.

Ashlyn glances at the younger girl. "So, you gonna tell him?"

"Um.. I don't know." Jessie says. "I think I need to have a conversation with Stiles first, you know..see where we stand and all. I mean..I don't even know how he feels about me." Jessie sighs.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine. Just talk to Stiles." Ashlyn says. "Because I think he likes you too."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I do."

.

Ashlyn comes out of Jessie's room and goes downstairs to find Tyson. She sees he's sitting on the sofa with Isaac contently, both watching the rugby game on the television. She's about to go over to them, but then she sees the Alpha pensively sitting at the dining room. It's clear he has a lot on his mind. Ashlyn decides to go to Derek. She sits down in a chair to his right almost silently. Derek hears her, but he continues to stare at the grains in the wood of the table. "You don't need to worry about her." Derek looks to his right, looking at Ashlyn. "Jessie's okay. You don't need to worry."

"Sorry if I decide I'm not going to take advice from a cat." He says sarcastically, his eyes returning to the grains again.

Ashlyn decides to let that slide, because she knows he's only concerned for his sister. "What you think happened last night, didn't happen at all, not even close." She tells him.

Derek looks at her again. "How would you know?"

"Because Jessie told me what did happen."

"What happened then? Who'd she run off with?" Derek asks without missing a beat.

Ashlyn just shakes her head, because she promised Jessie she wouldn't tell Derek. "It really isn't as bad as you think. I get it, she's your little sister, so you think you're responsible for her-"

"I am responsible for her, regardless of her age." Derek interrupts.

"Okay." Ashlyn nods, she doesn't want to make him mad. She wants to soothe him, not make it worse. "But she's smart too, she knows what she's doing, she knows right from wrong." Ashlyn says.

"She's a teenager, she doesn't know right from wrong yet."

"Well, she knows it a lot better than some of us did at her age." Ashlyn says. Derek meets the jaguar's eyes. "If you get off her back a little bit, maybe she wouldn't be so scared to tell you the truth." Ashlyn says before she stands up.

"Wait." Derek grabs Ashlyn's wrist without even thinking about it. Ashlyn jumps just a little, unsuspecting of it. "What do you mean scared? She's scared of me?" Derek asks with a frown. That's the last thing he wants.

Ashlyn shakes her head. "No, worse. She's scared to confide in you, she's scared to talk to you." Derek's hand slips away from the girl's wrist, his face falling a little. Ashlyn looks at him for a few seconds. "It hurts for you to know that, but it hurts worse for her to feel. She's your sister, yes, but she's also a woman..she needs to feel safe, on every level." Ashlyn tells him before walking away, going over to Tyson and Isaac. Derek looks over at the female, seeing her hug Tyson, her words ringing in his head. And maybe those words weren't just about Jessie either, maybe they were a little bit about her too. One thing Derek knows for sure, he had no idea someone who's been animal so long could reach down your throat and find the emotions you've swallowed back and then put them down in front of you like that.

.

Derek takes a breath then sighs, for the millionth time. He brings his fist up to knock on her door, but lets it fall back to his side, for the millionth time. He sighs heavily and forces himself to knock, because he's acting like a child now, it's getting silly. "Hey.. Jess? Think you could let me in for a second?" He asks through the door. Jessie looks up at her door. "I just want to talk to you. And, um.. I'm sorry about before."

Hearing the two magic words, Jessie gets off her bed and goes over to her door. She unlocks it and opens it, looking up at her brother. "What do you wanna talk about?" She asks him.

Derek's just surprised she opened the door. "Um.. I just want to talk-"

"No, what is it you want to talk about?" She asks him again. "Because I'm really not in the mood to be made out to be some kind of slut again."

Derek almost cringes as the 's' word leaves Jessie's mouth. "That.. That wasn't what I was saying." He says. Jessie shoots him a deadpan look. "Well.. I didn't meant to say that." He corrects, because he kind of did insinuate something sexual had gone down between her and someone, so..

"I truly hope you mean that." Jessie says.

"I do. I.. I'm sorry." He apologies again.

Jessie eyes him up and down. She's never gotten that kind of response from him before, let alone two apologies. So, she lets her angry guard drop, and she opens her door some more. "Come in then." She says. He looks up at her, surprised again. He comes in and Jessie pushes the door shut behind him. She goes back over to her bed and sits down, her laptop open.

Derek sits down on the edge of her bed, still unsure how to go about this. "You know, if.." He tries, but he's definitely having some trouble. "If, there _was_ someone, then.." Jessie looks up at him and shuts her laptop. "Then.. You could tell me and.. I'd.."

"..not kill him?" Jessie finishes for him.

"I could try." Derek says. That makes Jessie chuckle. "Would any of that be maybe a little true?" He asks her.

Jessie picks at her sock and nods. "Maybe." She says without looking at him. "But.. I don't really know yet, haven't really.." She looks up at her brother again. She expects to see a frown, to see those huge eyebrows glaring at her, but she doesn't see that. Well.. He's trying not to show disapproval, but it's hard when she's all he has and she's starting to grow up. "We haven't really talked about it, so.. I don't know."

"Well.. Maybe you should talk about it then, with whoever this guy is." Derek suggests.

Jessie nods. "I will, soon."

"Are you going to tell me who-"

"No." Jessie stops him. "Well.. Not yet."

"Okay." Derek nods.

"I just.. I don't know what's going on, we aren't dating but.. I don't know." Jessie blurts out, because her and Stiles _aren't_ dating. Yes, she likes him, but what if he doesn't like her back? "But, if there is something between us then I will tell you..eventually."

"I'd prefer sooner than later." Derek says.

"Yeah, I know." Jessie says. "But that's all I can give you right now."

"Okay." He nods again. At least it's something, right? At least she's talking to him. At least she let him in. "There's probably another conversation we need to have then-"

"No! No, no, no." Jessie cuts him off, shaking her head. "Please, don't."

"Jessie, there's things you need to understand-"

"I already know, I don't need you to do this." She stops him again. "We're not talking about sex."

" _What_?" Derek asks. "That's not what I was going to say."

"Oh.." Jessie deflates.

"Jessie, are you.. Are you sleeping with-"

"No." She shakes her head again. "I just.. I thought that's what you meant."

"Well, I didn't mean that. _At all_." He enforces. "I was going to say you need to understand why you can't sneak off at night, and why you can't walk around alone."

"Oh, well.." Jessie's cheeks turn red and she looks into her lap. "I won't do that again." She says, because she's not throwing Isaac under the bus either.

"Yeah, you won't. Because next time, I'll ground you." Derek says. Jessie looks up at him again and huffs out a laugh. "I'm serious, I will. No phone, you won't be able to touch my car-"

"I get it, I get it." Jessie says. "Disobey the master and I have to sleep outside, I get it." She muses, smirking a little.

"Always with the dog jokes, just like Stiles." Derek says as he stands up. Jessie's smirk falls at the mention of _his_ name. "So, are we okay now?" Derek asks, turning to face her again.

Jessie brings a new smile to her face as she nods. "Yeah, we're fine. But next time.. We won't be."

"Understood." He says. "Master." He says over his shoulder in amusement as he goes over to her door. "I'm going to start dinner, come down when you're ready." He says before leaving her room.

"Hey, Derek?" Jessie says. He backs up a little, looking back into her room at her. "Um.. Thanks for.. You know.. For not getting mad this time."

"I shouldn't have gotten mad last time." He says. She nods in agreement, but she knows he only wants to keep her safe. "Like I said, dinner won't be far." He says, and leaves again. Jessie exhales and falls back on her pillows. Well.. That went _a lot_ better than she thought it would, and she has a feeling it may have something to do with Ashlyn.

.

 _A Little Bit Later On_

"Ash, Der'ick says dinner gon' be ready soon." Tyson comments as the two walk out of the small store.

"I know, I just wanted to pick up a few things for the loft." Ashlyn says as she holds his hand in one hand and holds a couple plastic bags in the other.

"It's cold, I don't wan' walk." Tyson complains, a little shiver running up his spine as the cold settles in.

"It's only a couple minutes, Ty. You'll be fine, c'mon." Ashlyn says.

"Can you carry me?" Tyson asks her.

Ashlyn's about to tell him he's a big boy who can walk himself, but then she sees his face. And he's right..it is starting to get cold. "Okay. c'mere." She lifts him up in one arm and starts the short walk back to the loft. They're walking when Ashlyn notices a figure standing in their path, not moving. It sees her, and approaches. Ashlyn holds Tyson closer to here, ready to shift if she has too.

When he steps into the light, he smirks at her. Ashlyn narrows her eyes, watching the man closely. She can smell the wolfsbane on his fingertips. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt the child." Zak speaks. Ashlyn clutches Tyson even closer to her. "So.. You're the girl hiding in that jaguar body?" He asks her.

"What do you want?" Ashlyn asks him.

"Just to talk, sweetheart." Ashlyn frowns at the pet name. It makes her feel..uncomfortable. And the way he's eyeing her up and down, it's making it worse. She swallows, bringing her other arm around Tyson as well. The toddler hugs around her neck, not looking at the man. She doesn't think she's ever wanted Derek to be around so much like she does in this moment. "Oh, don't be frightened-"

"I'm not. You don't scare me." Ashlyn stops him, standing her ground even if that isn't 100% accurate.

"Oh, okay." Zak chuckles, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "Jeez, you're froggy for someone so pretty." He says. Ashlyn frowns, she doesn't like that. "Now, why don't you tell me your story?" Zak says, walking towards her. Ashlyn takes a step back. "Tell me, how'd you do it? How are you like this?" He asks her, stepping forward again. Ashlyn backs into someone.

"Ma'am, are you all right?" The older man walking by with the handlebar mustache steadies her.

"Uh.." Ashlyn steps away from the stranger and his touch as well.

"Ma'am?" The older man says. He looks at Zak and frowns. "Is this man bothering you?"

"No, of course not." Zak shakes his head, giving a polite smile. "She's new in town, I was just helping point her home, right?" Zak says, looking at Ashlyn. Both men look at her. Ashlyn exhales shakily, holds Tyson tightly and walks away from them both quickly, just wanting to get back to the loft.

.

When Ashlyn gets home, they can see something's wrong. "Ashlyn, are you okay?" Jessie asks. Ashlyn doesn't answer. "Ashlyn?" Jessie calls out. She looks at Derek with a worried frown.

Derek looks at Jessie, then at Ashlyn. He nods towards the living room, for Jessie to give them some space. And she does, taking Tyson with her, she goes to sit with Isaac. She and Isaac have some gossip to discuss anyway, like what's going on with he and Danny. Derek goes over to Ashlyn. She's unpacking the bags she has, but she seems..rattled. "Ashlyn, what happened?" Derek asks her.

"..doesn't matter." She says, finishing her unpacking.

"Ashlyn. What happened?" He asks again.

"Hunter.. Cornered me." She mumbles, trying to walk past the Alpha.

"Did he hurt you?" Derek asks, stepping out in front of her. Ashlyn shakes her head, head down, as she tries to walk around him.

"Ashlyn." Derek grabs her arm, stopping her. She looks up at him slowly. Derek tries to pick out what's really wrong by the look on her face, but it's never that simple with this girl. "What is it?" He asks her.

"He scares me." She mutters, looking down again. "He's.. He makes me really uncomfortable, I don't want to bump into him ever again. I wish you were there to make him go away." The last confession is muttered so quietly Derek almost doesn't hear it.

"Zak." Derek realizes. Ashlyn nods, still looking down, like she's ashamed to have those feelings. And she is. She's stronger than that, but there's something about him.. He gives her the creeps. She doesn't want to be around him, she doesn't want him around Tyson. "Okay." Derek nods. "No more leaving by yourself, all right? Take someone other than Tyson next time." He advises, he knows he can't always be with her, he has a pack to look out for, a town to look out for. He has responsibilities. Ashlyn nods. Derek lets her arm go and she passes him, still looking down. "Ashlyn." He says, looking at her back. The girl stops. She glances at Derek over her shoulder. "Zak's not gonna hurt you, or Tyson. We're gonna look after you." He says. He's surprised, the word _protect_ came to mind but the words _look after_ left his mouth instead. There's not much difference, but there is a difference. It's not about keeping her and the boy alive anymore, it's about them being happy and comfortable too. Derek doesn't know whether he's happy with the transition or not. He isn't even sure when it happened, when he, and them all aside Jessie and Danny as they're both very kind-hearted, started caring for these two in a different way. Like they're close, like they're friends, like they're.. _pack_.

"Thanks, Derek." Ashlyn says quietly before she turns back around and walks up the stairs with the intention to quickly shower before dinner. He watches her walk away, his brow pulled into a light frown. Yeah, maybe he needs to speak to Chris.

.

.

 **What is going on with that Argent guy? Stessie are getting more serious, no Dissac in this one I'm afraid, but more to come!**

 **Favorite! Follow! Review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry for the longer wait than usual, here's another chapter!**

 **Hawk-eye-33 - Thank you kindly :) I like how sisterly they are too! It's going to bring the jaguar and the pack closer, and of course, Derek and Ashlyn closer too ;) Zak is only just getting started :(**

 **Tesla424 - Me too, he's terrible, but every story needs a terrible character! Yes, some sisterly bonding :3**

 **jayesh dms - Thanks :) Yes, and more to come!**

.

 _Monday 23rd May - Morning_

Derek approaches her room with slow steps, unsure what he's going to say to her. It's very obvious that he thinks more of her than he did in the beginning, and she to him. They hated each other. But now..it's different. Now he's actually about to go to her room and thank her for putting a stop to the rift splitting he and his younger sister apart. He isn't even sure he believes he's doing this himself.

He stops in front of her door and brings his fist up to knock, but the door's pulled open before he can. Ashlyn jumps back a little, getting a fright. "Oh!"

"Sorry." Derek recoils, letting his hand drop back to his side.

Ashlyn looks at him for a moment. "What's going on?" She asks him.

"Uh.." Derek chews on the words for a moment. "Whatever you said to Jessie.. It worked. We're okay now." He says. "So.. Thank you." He finally says.

"You're welcome." The words flow past her lips easier than they have in a very long time. "I'm happy you two are okay. Jessie needs you, and.." She isn't sure if she should push the boundaries, but she does anyway. "And I think you need her too. The same as Tyson and I need each other." Ashlyn says.

Derek swallows and nods. "You're right." He admits. Ashlyn gives a small smile. "I'll let you get back to.. Doing.. I'll go." He says.

"Okay." Ashlyn says. She watches Derek turn and start to walk away. She goes after him, catching him by the arm. "Wait." Derek stops, feeling soft skin touching him. He turns back around to face her. "Um.. I've never really said this to you properly, but.. Thank you for bringing me in and letting me stay here. For letting us both stay here. I don't know where we'd be if we weren't here. I mean.. I don't know if I wanna think about that. I'm just trying to say that.. That I'm glad we're here." She says.

Derek doesn't really know what to say to that. So, he nods. "Me too." His reply is much weaker than her comments, but she knows he's not about spilling his heart out, and neither is she, so his reply is enough. She lets him walk away this time, undisturbed. And she goes back in the room to get Tyson before she starts her own day.

.

 _Lunchtime_

"A park, really, Derek?" Chris asks, walking over to the wolf. "You want me to play fetch with you?" He says snidely.

Derek doesn't pay his attitude any mind. "Open space, lots of people. Good for me in case you decided you wanted me dead more than you're willing to hear me out." Derek says.

"Makes sense." Chris shrugs flippantly like he considered that on the way over here.

Derek knows he isn't serious. Chris is the most reasonable of all the hunters in Beacon Hills, hence why he's talking to him about this and not one of the other hunters. "Your cousin, Zak." Derek says, sitting down at a park bench.

"What about him?" Chris asks, sitting down on the other side.

This is strange, it seems normal but in reality, they're sworn enemies. The _despise_ each other. "Ashlyn and Tyson, they're new, they're staying in Beacon Hills." Derek says, not giving away too much because it's not Chris' business.

"Ah. Yes, the young boy and that girl from the other day, right? The ones in your car?" Chris guesses.

Derek nods slowly. "Tell your cousin to stay away from them." Derek says.

Chris looks at Derek for a second before he chuckles. "Really? That's why you asked me to come here?" He asks the Alpha.

"This is a warning. He stays away from her and from the boy." Derek says, completely serious even though Chris is finding this more than amusing. "He harasses her once more, and I don't talk to you, I _go after_ him." He warns.

That makes Chris' smirk fall. He realizes Derek isn't playing around, at all. "Are you threatening him?" Chris asks.

"No." Derek shakes his head. "That's a promise. Tell him to leave her alone. He doesn't go up to her, he doesn't talk to her. _Or else_." Derek says, standing up.

"Hey. Hale." Chris stands up too, looking at the man's back as he walks away. Derek said what he wanted to say so now he's leaving. "Derek." Chris uses his first name now. Derek does stop when the other man calls out this time, keeping his back to Chris. "I'll tell Zak she isn't to be approached." Chris tells him. Derek looks at the other man now, giving him a nod, before he keeps walking back over to his car.

.

Ashlyn's drying dishes as Jessie puts them up on the bench, dripping with hot soapy water. Their eyes flick up when Derek comes in the front door. "Oh, hey. I was wondering where you disappeared to this morning." Jessie says.

"I had a meeting with Chris." Derek says, pulling his leather jacket off, hanging it over his chair he usually sits in at the dining room table.

Ashlyn and Jessie look at him again, more alert in their eyes this time around. "You did what?" Jessie asks. "Argent? Chris Argent?" Derek nods. Ashlyn frowns. By himself? That isn't safe, something could have happened to him. "Derek, that was stupid." Jessie scowls.

"I had to take care of something." He says, his eyes falling to the other girl. "But I'm fine, so relax." Ashlyn glances up at him then turns away to puts the bowls on the shelf. Jessie sighs. He's right..kind of. At least he's back and he's safe. Derek walks over to Ashlyn, standing beside her. "I talked to Chris about Zak." He says, his voice very quiet, so only she can hear him.

Ashlyn looks up at Derek, surprised. Jessie glances at them. She can't hear what's being said but she knows they're saying something to each other. "Why did you do that?" Ashlyn asks him, just as quiet.

"Zak won't be a problem anymore. Chris is gonna take care of it from his side." Derek tells her, not answering her previous question because he isn't even that sure why he went so far out of his way for her. "But we'll keep an eye out anyway." He tells her.

Ashlyn finds she doesn't have words. He did all of that, put himself with a hunter, put himself in _danger_..for her. Derek turns to walk away when the most surprising thing happens. Even Jessie drops the plate she was washing back into the sink. Ashlyn wraps her arms around his waist, hugging him, her cheek resting against his collarbones. Derek's hands freeze, he doesn't know what to do. One of his hands slowly rests on her shoulder, giving a hesitant pat. Ashlyn clears her throat, pulling back. She looks down at the tea-towel in her hand like she's embarrassed she did that. "Thank you." She says, looking at the wolf from under her lashes.

Derek gives her a nod. He walks away this time, not missing the look Jessie gives him as he passes her. And then the two girls are alone again, and Ashlyn goes back to drying the dishes as Jessie washes them. "Everything okay?" Jessie asks, her eyes on the glass she's washing.

"Yeah, actually." Ashlyn nods. "It is now."

Jessie glances at her, finding the girl in thought, before she looks back into the sink. "Good." Jessie nods.

.

 _Later_

Stiles looks away from his laptop screen when his phone buzzes on his bed. He slides across the floor on his computer chair, picking it up off his bed. He sees Jessie's name come up on the screen and he can't help the smile that comes to his face.

 _Hey :) You think we could meet up and talk? Tomorrow or something? -Jessie_

 _Hi :) Yes, sure we can. Something on your mind? -Stiles_

Jessie almost holds her breath. Hell yes, she has something on her mind. _Him_. _Them_. Them being a thing. Maybe she shouldn't get so excited about something that's only a chance. And Jessie's _very_ scared it's only a slim chance, if any at all.

 _Something like that. How's 10 at the park? -Jessie_

 _The park? Are you sure? It's supposed to be cold tomorrow. -Stiles_

 _Yeah, I'm sure. -Jessie_

They need privacy for this conversation, privacy away from any of the wolves hearing or being around.

 _Okay.. Is something wrong? -Stiles_

 _No. -Jessie_

 _Even through text that was unconvincing. What's going on, Jess? -Stiles_

He doesn't realize but he's biting at his thumbnail, nervous.

 _Everything's fine, I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, Stiles. -Jessie_

Jessie knows she pretty much just cut him off, but she wants to talk to him about this face to face, and that's for tomorrow. She's not ready to do it today. She's nervous, she's afraid, she's feeling a whole bunch of things she's not used to feeling, all for this spazzy boy. It scares her, but in a good way too.

 _Okay, bye, Jess. -Stiles_

He texts her back, still feeling nervous. She wants to meet up and talk? Maybe she could tell he was into her in the party, maybe she's annoyed or creeped out by it, they haven't seen each other since so maybe she wants to back off. Great. Now Stiles' day is ruined.

.

 _That Night_

Jessie's fallen asleep on the sofa, stretched out, breathing evenly. Isaac and Danny are still awake, still watching the movie line-up Jessie got them all in here to watch, a sort of movie-night kind of thing. But Jessie's fallen asleep. Isaac glances at Danny, and Danny catches him doing it. "What?" Danny asks him from the other end of the sofa. "Why are you staring at me?"

"Nothing." Isaac says, looking away from her, blushing a little but the darkness of the room hides it. Danny moves other to his end of the sofa, sitting quite close to him. "What are you doing?" He asks her.

"Nothing, just.. Sitting with you." Danny says. "Maybe cuddling if..if that's allowed." She says shyly.

Isaac nods. "Yeah, that's allowed." He keeps nodding, moving so she can get closer. And she does move closer. Despite how he becomes nervous every time she's close to him, he finds his arm slips around her waist a lot easier than he thought. "This is okay, right?"

"Yeah." She nods, her skin tingling under his warm touch.

"Where's Jessie?" Derek asks Ashlyn as they pass each other in the hall.

Ashlyn shrugs. "I don't know. She was with Isaac and Danny, watching movies downstairs." She tells him.

"Isaac and Danny?" Derek questions.

"Yeah." Ashlyn nods. "What's wrong with that?" She asks him.

Derek's talked to Isaac, he's seen them and how they've been, and he's certainly seen how much Scott is against them being anything other than friends. "Nothing." He says.

"I can get Jessie for you, I have to get Tyson some milk anyway." She offers.

"If she's watching movies, knowing her, she's asleep. I'll grab her." Derek says.

"Okay." Ashlyn nods. Derek gestures for her to go first. The two make their way downstairs. But they both stop at the bottom of the stairs, spotting Jessie, as well as Isaac and Danny.

Derek clears his throat loudly, seeing how close the two teenagers are, how close their _lips_ are. Danny jumps off the sofa, quickly. Both teenagers look at the two adults in horror, both with burning red cheeks. "Danny, it's late. You should probably get home." Derek says. As much as he needs to respect Isaac, he needs to respect Scott too.

"Uh.. Yeah." Danny nods, not daring meet Derek's eyes.

"I'll give you a ride." Derek says, because she can't walk home, it's too dangerous.

"..thanks." Danny says. She looks at Isaac. "Um.. Goodnight." She says, but it sounds more like a question.

"Goodnight." Isaac says.

Ashlyn just looks between the two teenagers, unsure what to do now. Derek turns to her. "I'm going to take her home, could you wake Jessie, make sure she gets in bed to sleep?" He takes her up on her last offer.

"Sure." Ashlyn nods.

"You should get to bed too." Derek says, looking at Isaac. Isaac nods. "C'mon, Danny."

"Bye." Danny says to the other two as she leaves with Derek. Ashlyn moves over towards Jessie.

"Ashlyn?" Isaac says. She turns back around to look at him. "You think Derek will tell Scott?" He asks her.

Ashlyn shakes her head. "I think he just didn't want two teenagers making out on his sofa." She says.

Isaac's cheeks redden even more. "You think he's going to say something to Danny about this during the drive?" Isaac asks.

Ashlyn shakes her head again. "Help me with Jessie?"

"Okay."

.

And when the clock strikes 11pm, and a woman has finally gotten her children in bed and left her husband to watch them so she can go for a night run, she finds herself in the worst position. She finds herself in the woods, face to face with blazing red eyes and a set of screamingly sharp fangs. The only thing heard is her scream before the flesh is torn from her body.

.

.

 **Dashlyn is hinting at becoming more than just housemates! Derek's not a cockblocker either, he's just trying to keep peace between his pack, specifically between Isaac and Scott :P Just wondering, how would you all feel about a main character dying, or not dying but coming really close to death?**

 **Favorite! Follow! Review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hawk-eye-33 -Yes, it does! Hehe, Derek's being the 'Dad' of the pack :P Yay, all the ships are coming up, some a lot slower than others! Thank you so much!**

 **momentum123 - Here's some more :) Hmm.. We will see..**

 **Mischief goddess - All my readers seem to think the same thing, but I'll see where I go with it! Thank you kindly :) Sorry for the wait, here's another chapter!**

 **I have to say, even though I update not too often, I've been jumping ahead and thinking of things for future chapters and I've had a lot of dramatic things come to mind, even some smut if my readers want that, I don't know! I just thought I'd let you know that even though I don't update every day or every week, I'm still planning and drafting and everything, I haven't forgotten about you or this story!**

.

 _Tuesday 24th May - Morning_

Ashlyn awakens with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She sits up, frowning. The first thing she does is check on Tyson, rushing over to her nephew and checking him over. But he's fast asleep. And he's fine. Absolutely fine. She's glad, she's relieved, but she still feels that sinking feeling, so she leaves the room to check on the ours. She bumps right into Derek like she almost did the day before. He steadies her, and her skin tingles under his surprising touch. "Sorry." She says.

He takes his hand off of her, and nods. "It's fine." He says. He looks at her, really looks at her. He knows something's off, she looks much too alert for someone who just woke up. "What's going on?" He asks her.

"I don't know." She says honestly. "I woke up with this.. I don't know."

"You feel it too?" Derek asks her, his own eyebrows pulled into a light frown. She meets his eyes now, her eyebrows raising a little. "That bad feeling? Like something's wrong?"

Ashlyn nods. "Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Because I woke up with the same thing." The Alpha tells her. "Something's happened. I'm going out to find out what. I've already checked in with everyone, I was just coming to check on you and Tyson."

"Oh.. Well, we're fine." Ashlyn says, surprised again by what he's said. He was coming to check on them? That's..nice, sweet even.

"Okay." He nods. "I'll be back later, Issac already knows so-"

"I'm coming with you." Ashlyn blurts out. Derek pauses, his eyebrows raising a little this time. "I'm.. You can't go alone, it's too dangerous. I'm coming with you." She says. "Will Isaac watch Tyson?"

Derek nods, it's his turn to be surprised. "Yeah. I'll just let him know."

"Okay. Good." Ashlyn nods.

"Yeah." He nods back. "Give me a second, then we'll head out."

.

 _Later_

Stiles swings absent-mindedly on the park swing, his left foot dragging in the bark as he stares anxiously down at it, waiting for Jessie's arrival. She said 10. She did say 10, right? He's sure. Stiles brings his phone out, going back through the messages, just to be sure. Yes, he was right. He sighs, slipping his phone back into his pocket. Maybe she just forgot? Or maybe she doesn't want to see him. Maybe.. He stops his mind from running crazy when he looks up and sees the very girl walking over, her hands tucked into her jean pockets. Stiles puts both feet to the bark steadily to stop himself, then rises up out of the swing. "Jess." He calls out.

Jessie hears his voice, and she looks up. She sees Stiles, and keeps walking until there's only a meter between them. "Hey, Stiles." She says.

Stiles' eyes dart between both of hers, searching for something, anything, to soothe his anxiety. "Is everything okay?" He asks her, because he cares about her, and their text conversation from yesterday has had him worried and still worried right now. He hasn't heard from her again since then so that makes it even worse. "Is Derek okay? Isaac? Ashlyn? Tyson? Are you-"

"Stiles." Jessie stops, stopping his rambling.

Stiles clears his throat, trying to calm his racing heart. "What's going on, Jessie? Why are we here?" He asks her as calmly as he can manage.

She exhales out her nose and goes over to the swing next to the one he was just on. She sits down in it and starts to softly swing back and forth. Stiles frowns with uncertainty. "Sit. Swing with me." She says. He doesn't object, he doesn't question it, but his confusion is clear by the look on his face as he sits back in the swing from before and swings a little like she is. "We're here because I want to talk to you, just us, where no person or wolf will be listening in." She says.

Stiles looks at her, looking for more of an explanation, but she's looking straight ahead. "Okay." He nods. "What do you wanna talk about?" He asks her.

Jessie glances at him now, but looks back out over the horizon again. "Me. You. Me and.. Me and you. You and I, however we're supposed to say it.. I don't know, I don't pay much attention in English." Jessie finds herself rambling, becoming nervous.

Stiles does too, because he swallows loudly, it's almost a gulp. "Me and-and you?" He repeats, hating how he stutters a little and his hands start to feel sweaty as he latches to the swing chains on either side of his head. "What about us?" He asks her.

Jessie looks back at him, stopping her swinging. She lets out a nervous breath, and then inhales a deep breath to calm herself. "Well.."

.

"What are we looking for-"

Derek puts his finger to his mouth, eyes snapping to Ashlyn. The girl doesn't finish her question. "Stay quiet. Use your senses." He says in a quiet mumble. "We don't know what could be out here." He says before he turns back around and continues to creep through the trees, keeping them concealed in the shadows, something Derek's become quite good at.

The two continue on, and Ashlyn hears something in the distance. She grabs the shoulder of Derek's jacket, making him stop. "There's something.. A lot of people." She says to him in the same very low voice he used earlier.

"Humans? Are you sure?" He asks her, already sniffing the air himself.

Ashlyn nods. "Something's going on ahead. C'mon." She walks past him, leading the way.

The Alpha and the Were-jaguar venture on, coming to a pass where they stick to the shadows, but find police cars all around, an ambulance, and lots of people. There's flashing lights, cameras, microphones, whatever's going on here, the media want to know. Ashlyn looks at Derek, and he looks at her, the two sharing a look. The media.. This can't be good. They need to stay off the radar, before the hunters decide to get involved even more than they have been. They need to stay off the radar before the hunters decide to _thin down the pack_. Derek turns back to face forward when a strong scent hits his nose. Both were-animals watch as a full body bag is carried away, the cameramen trying their best to get a shot, the reporters trying their best to get a story. Derek frowns, watching as Sheriff Stilinski struggles to keep everyone at bay with his deputies, as he struggles to get the media away from a crime scene they shouldn't even have known about yet. "It's another dead body." Derek sighs.

Ashlyn looks at him, and she can see the same stress on his face as she sees in the Sheriff's, two men both trying to save their town, both knowing things other people don't. "We'll figure this out, Derek." Ashlyn says, trying to make him feel even just a little bit better.

Derek nods. "We don't have a choice, we have too." He says. "C'mon, let's get back. I'll have Stiles talk to his Dad, see what he can get us on the murder." Ashlyn nods and backs up, turning around and following Derek. They walk in silence for a couple minutes. Ashlyn glances over her shoulder, looking back at the crime scene at the bottom of the hill. Then suddenly, the worst pain imaginable. Derek spins around when a low growl passes Ashlyn's lips. By the sound of it, it sounds almost as if she's turned on him, and is about to attack, but that isn't what he finds at all. He finds the girl gritting her teeth, now fangs, trying not to cry out in pain. He rushes over to her, and kneels down beside her because she's stumbled. He looks at her, the girl's eyes are watery. "What is it? What happened?" He asks her. Ashlyn can't say anything, she's trying to keep quiet as not to draw attention to them. She just nods down, but doesn't look down, she just grips his jacket tightly in her fist, holding herself upright. Derek frowns and looks down, his eyes widening when he sees it. Sharp metal teeth wrap around her ankle, tearing through her skin and keeping her in place. "..bear trap." Derek says under his breath. He looks back up at Ashlyn, and there's actually a tear rolling down her cheek. She's trying so hard not to make any loud sound but he can imagine the pain she's in right now, were-creature or not. He takes her other hand in his and starts draining away some of that pain, trying to figure out the easiest and less painful way to get this thing off of her. "Okay.. I have to break it." He tells her.

Ashlyn shakes her head, another tear slipping from her eyes, staining her other cheek. "No.. It-It hurts t-too much." She says with a watery hiccup.

"I have to get it off." He says. "It's going to hurt worse, but.. But, it's the only way to get it off."

She shakes her head again, squeezing the leather of his jacket even tighter. "No. No.."

Derek sighs, she's being stubborn, but he understands why. She's in extreme pain right now, and with the trap still jawed around her ankle, she can't heal. "Ashlyn?" He says, trying to convince her. She just shakes her head again, trying to think of something else. Breaking it means tearing the metal teeth back out of her skin. She doesn't like the thought of doing it like a bandaid for something like this. "Ashlyn.." But she only shakes her head again. She leans her forehead against his shoulder, trying to ignore the immense pain she's in. Derek sighs heavily, knowing he has to do what he has to do. He brings his arm around her back like he's hugging her, and she frowns in confusion. He lets her hand go, reaching down. "I'm sorry." He says to her quietly. She doesn't even get to question why he's saying he's sorry, because the Alpha, the _bastard_ , goes ahead and shatters the metal with his hand anyway. As soon as it's done, he throws his hand over her mouth because this time a pained scream does pass her lips, and the police are right over the hill. Too many questions and suspicions would come up if they saw Ashlyn like this, especially once she healed. "Shhh, shhh, shhh." He hushes her, holding his hand over her mouth as the girl cries out against it. Suddenly, the girl's eyes roll back and she falls limp in his arms. Derek frowns, and takes his hand away from her mouth, bringing it to her pulse.

 _Thump, thump. Thump, thump._

She's fine, she's just passed out. Most probably from the pain. Derek exhales in relief, not minding how she practically falls against him, unable to control her body in her unconsciousness. He looks down at the metal pieces laying around them, blood covering most of them. He looks away, because it's not the nicest image. He stands up, lifting her up with him, bridal style. He begins walking back the way they came, heading back through the woods in the shadows of the trees to get back to the loft where he can tend to Ashlyn a lot easier.

.

 _Later_

Her eyes move beneath her eyelids as she slowly drifts back to consciousness. Voices, mumbled voices, around her. "How bad is it?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know as much about her kind as I do about yours, Derek."

Ashlyn's eyes flutter open lazily, hearing a familiar but not completely recognizable voice. She grunts gently, the blacking out taking away her motor skills momentarily. Both Derek and Deaton turn to her. It's Derek that gets to her first. "Ashlyn?" He says, sitting down in the chair beside the bed, the one Deaton pulled over to check her over in. She makes a sound of recognition. "She's awake." Derek says, looking back over at Deaton.

Deaton moves over to her, to her other side. Ashlyn's eyelids droop dangerously, but she forces them to stay open. She looks over at the door, to see the familiar faces of the household trying to peek into the room. "Kids, give us some space." Deaton says, speaking to Isaac and Jessie that are trying to get a look without getting in trouble.

"Go on. Take Tyson as well." Derek says to them.

Isaac sighs. "C'mon." He says.

Ashlyn sees the two teenagers move, and she fuzzily sees a much smaller person with them. "..Ty..Tyson." She gets out, her throat far too dry.

Tyson hears his name pass her lips, and the young boy realizes she's awake. He turns to her with wide eyes. "Ashy? Ash!" He races between Jessie and Isaac and into the room, darting over to the bed. He jumps up on it before Derek or Deaton can warn him otherwise.

A pained sound leaves Ashlyn's mouth, and her face screws up, but it's worth it when Tyson hugs around her neck tightly, happy to see she's back and she's okay. She swallows, wetting her throat. "It's okay." She croaks, looking at Derek and Deaton, holding a hand out to them to tell them not to try and pry the boy away from her.

Jessie and Isaac migrate back to the door, standing in the doorway more bravely now, looking at Ashlyn. Derek turns to them, but doesn't tell them to leave this time. "Is she okay?" Jessie asks him.

Derek nods. "She'll be fine." He tells her.

Jessie gives a small smile, but she's not feeling too hot herself right now. Her talk with Stiles didn't go as well as she hoped. "C'mon, Isaac." She says, because it seems Tyson isn't letting go for awhile.

Derek watches as Jessie and Isaac leave again, this time willingly. He frowns a little, reminding himself to sit down with Jessie when he can get her alone, because she seems a little down. He turns back to Ashlyn, finding Tyson's still hugging her tightly. He shares a look with Deaton, both almost admiring how even though she's barely holding onto consciousness, she can still soothe Tyson as he's quite upset because he was so scared and worried for his Aunt. They look back at Tyson, and find he's brushing his fingertips down her nose gently. "My Puddy Tat." He whispers with a hiccup, tears down his face. They find Ashlyn's slowly slipping back to sleep again, the action calming her.

Derek wonders if they should stop him, and keep her awake. "No." Deaton says to him, as if he can read Derek's mind. "Let her rest. She needs it. Her body can wait another few hours for sustenance." Deaton advises, even though she's been out cold for hours, no water, no food, no wonder she's dizzy as all hell. "C'mon, let's leave them both to get some sleep."

.

 _That Evening_

As the sun beings to go down, Jessie seeks out her brother. Deaton's returned to his own home, leaving behind directions to help with Ashlyn's recovery. Jessie already knows where Derek will be, he's been in the same place all day, ever since he carried Ashlyn through the door, her ankle and foot covered with her blood, the girl herself unconscious. As much as Jessie and Isaac offered their help, Derek put them to ask on looking after Tyson while he and Deaton looked after Ashlyn. Jessie goes into Tyson and Ashlyn's room, and she finds Derek in the exact same spot as earlier, since Deaton left. He looks up at her as she comes in the door, and takes the seat beside his. "Hey."

"Hey." Derek says, and his voice sounds tired. Between the new murder and what happened to Ashlyn, it's been a hectic day. And he's been sitting here, sitting with the she-jaguar, and there's been a thousand and one things running through his mind. He wonders what it'd be like if she left, he wonders what it'd be like if anything worse had happened to her today, he wonders what it'd be like if Tyson wasn't around. He just.. He _wonders_ how much this girl and her nephew have changed his and the pack's lives. Derek's eyes fall to Ashlyn's ankle, which is wrapped up and propped up a little to help the healing process along, which is going painfully slow as she's unconscious and the metal trap tore through much more than just her skin. Deaton's set an ice pack on it as well, to help with the swelling. Derek finds it odd, it's almost like she's human, it's almost like she's fragile. He doesn't really know why he's so worried about her, but he finds Ashlyn's harder to get off his mind than he thought, and maybe that's why he's sat here with her this whole time. Is it because she's more than just a housemate to him? Maybe they're friends? Maybe they're _pack_ even, who knows, right? Derek certainly doesn't.

"Has she woken up again yet?" Jessie asks him, both keeping their voices low as not to wake Ashlyn or Tyson, who sleeps curled up with his sister, his hand rested on her cheek.

His sister's voice snaps him back out of his thoughts. Derek shakes his head. "No. Not yet." He says. "Deaton thinks she might even sleep through the night."

"She's gonna be starving when she wakes up." Jessie comments.

"Yeah." Derek nods, looking down at his hands.

Jessie frowns, looking at him. "Hey." She says, but gets nothing back. "Hey." She nudges him with her elbow this time. He looks to his side at her. "What's wrong with you?" She asks him.

Derek exhales out his nose, and looks back at Ashlyn. "I should've seen it." He says.

"Seen what?"

"The trap, before she stepped on it." He says, not looking at his sister. He should have spotted the trap long before Ashlyn stood on it, then she'd be fine, she wouldn't be on bedrest like this, she wouldn't be injured like this.

Jessie sighs, rubbing her eyes. "It's really sweet that you wanna put all the blame on yourself, but Jesus, Derek.. When does it stop?" She asks him. He looks at her, confused, because she sounded sarcastic, but he isn't sure. "Everything that happens to us, everything that happens to people in this town, it's not all _your_ fault." Jessie says. Derek looks back at Ashlyn, not saying anything back. "I get it, it's because you're the Alpha, right? That means it all lands on your back?" She asks, leaning forward so she can look him in the face, but he's purposely avoiding looking at hers. "That's not true. You have to know it's not true, it can't all be on you."

"Yeah, I'm sure Mom would think the same thing if she were here." It leaves Derek's lips sarcastically before he can stop himself.

"That's different." Jessie says, and Derek's surprised they didn't just fall into dead silence. "Things aren't the same as they used to be. There's nothing we've been able to do, so there's nothing we _can_ do right now." She says. "She took action because she knew what she was doing. You don't know what you're doing." Derek looks at her now, a frown on his face. "I mean that with respect." She adds. "You're a kid, Derek, like me. You have to stop comparing yourself to her." She says gently, because she knows how her brother has always tried to be just like their Mom when she was their Alpha, but things were _very_ different in that time. Wolves and hunters could live in peace, they can barely do that now. There weren't murders left and right like this, that was rare, and when it did happen, there were numerous packs that helped Tahlia's pack get to the bottom of it. That woman never stood alone, or only with her own pack, but things aren't like that anymore. Other packs are vindictive, they're dangerous. Packs don't mix like they used too. "She lived many years before we were even a thought. She knows more than we ever could. It's why we research, it's why we read her books, her diaries, her notes. The time Mom lived in wasn't like this. Things like this didn't happen, only very rarely, and there was _always_ a reason. There's no good reason for what's happening in our town. We have nothing. But that's not your fault." She tells him. "When are you gonna stop living in Mom's shadow, and start being Derek the Alpha?" She asks him.

He listens to her, of course he listens. And he processes what she's saying. But for the life of him, because she's always been able to read him like a book, he has nothing to say back to her. "What's wrong with you today?" So he changes the subject.

She leans back in the chair. She knows what she's said has gotten through to him because he didn't brush her off or make a snarky remark, he thought about it and he switched subjects because he doesn't have the answer she needs right now. "What do you mean?"

"You're upset. I can smell it." He says. She scoffs, like he's completely wrong. Derek turns to her now, locking eyes with the girl. "I can _see_ it." He says more seriously. He can read Jessie too, without any wolf abilities, because she's his baby sister. Jessie swallows, and looks at Ashlyn and Tyson now, it's her turn to avoid his gaze. "What happened to you today?" He asks her.

"..I don't want to talk about it." She says quietly. He opens his mouth to ask again, but then she looks up at him, and her eyes are watery as she remembers earlier on with Stiles. "Can we please not talk about it?" She asks him. "Just this once? Please?"

Derek nods, because he doesn't want to upset her anymore than she seems to be. Yes, he will get to bottom of it, but not right now. He moves his chair closer to hers and looks at her. "I know I've made it hard in the past, but I am here for you, Jessie." He tells her.

Jessie nods. "Okay." She sniffles.

"Okay?"

"Yeah." She nods.

"C'mere." He says. Jessie looks at him in confusion, because they're sitting right next to each other. "C'mere." He says again. She moves closer to him and is pleasantly, but still very surprised, welcomed with a warm hug. She moves into his embrace, because she's needed this, she's needed to be hugged in a way that assures her she isn't alone, and that she's okay. "You want me to kill him, and hide the body?" Derek teases with hopes of her lightening up, because he knows it does have something to do with her mystery 'friend', he isn't stupid.

Jessie chuckles a little. "Not right now, no. But maybe a raincheck." She teases back. Derek's lips twitch upwards, at least she's not in tears and still has a sense of humor.

.

.

 **Hmm.. What happened with Jessie and Stiles, huh? Cliffhanger on that, I know, I'm evil :P Don't fret, Ashlyn's fine, that wasn't the close death/death I was talking about, they just ran into an obstacle. But, damn, Derek..what's all these things he's feeling and thinking about, hmm? ;)**

 **Favorite! Follow! Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**jayesh dms - That is a secret :P Until I reveal it! Trust me, even though she may seem to get kicked down a lot, remember Derek was kicked down a whole lot as well, she is resilient and very strong. Keep in mind that she's new to this whole human thing, she's finding herself, she's learning and adapting to her new life. But, I'm not saying you're opinion is wrong, because she seems to _always_ be getting hurt, and it won't stop here either, there will be other times, and there will be times where it seems she's the strongest one of them all :) And I will!**

 **So sorry for the wait, I've been crazy busy, but I know you readers can understand that :) And I'm sorry this chapter isn't very long either :( I'll make it up to you all!**

.

 _Wednesday 25th May - Morning_

Ashlyn awakens slowly, feeling drowsy but certainly better than she did when she last woke. She moves a little, but she can feel her ankle's still banged up, so she doesn't try to get up just yet. She rubs her eyes and looks to her side, finding the Alpha's _still_ with her. "Derek?" She says, her voice cracks and she knows she needs to hydrate.

The Alpha's startled awake, his eyes opening. He blinks a few times, clearing away his sleepiness, before he looks at her, finding she's awake. "Ashlyn.." His voice is a tired mumble, it makes Ashlyn wonder how much sleep he got and how well he would have slept sitting there in that chair. "How're you feeling?" He asks her, sitting up properly.

"Hmm.. Better." Ashlyn says. Derek hears her hoarse voice so he takes the glass of water off the bedside table that Jessie brought up for her. He hands it to Ashlyn and she takes it, bringing it to her lips straight away. She gives him a thankful look over the rim of the glass. She drains the glass completely then sets it down on the bed. Derek takes it and puts it on the bedside table again. She nods her thanks once more. She looks around, but finds it's just she and Derek in here. "Where is everyone?" She asks him, her throat feeling better already. "Where's Tyson?"

"They're downstairs." Derek tells her. "Last I saw, they were watching 'The Little Mermaid' on Netflix with Tyson. He's fine, they're all fine." He says.

Ashlyn finds a smile pulls at her lips. "'The Little Mermaid', really?" She asks the wolf.

Derek nods, he found it amusing as well, two teenagers and a toddler, all engulfed in the movie. "Isaac said it was Tyson's idea, but I think it was his idea."

Ashlyn finds a soft laugh escapes her lips. Derek looks at her, his eyes softening, his lips twitching up a little. "Hey, you made a joke. I didn't think you could do that." She half-teases him. Derek only shrugs as a response, because maybe he's surprised he made the joke as well. "Thank you, Derek."

He looks up at her now. "For what?" Derek asks her.

"You know what." Ashlyn says. "I passed out in the woods, I know I did. You were the only one with me, I know you got me back here." She says. Derek looks into his lap. "And thanks, even though I didn't want you too, you got that trap off me. So.. Thanks."

Derek nods. "It's okay." He says, looking up at her once again. "You know.." His eyebrows pull into a frown. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I just had to get that thing off you." He tells her.

"I know you didn't." She nods. "You said you were sorry, and I believe you." She says. She meets his eyes, looking between both of his green orbs. She has a question sitting on the tip of her tongue, it's been there since she woke up to find him at her side. "Why are you.. Never mind." She shakes her head, looking away from him.

"Why am I what?" Derek asks her.

"..nothing. It's nothing." She backs down, deciding not to ask him why he's stayed with her all this time, especially when the others knew she'd be perfectly fine up here on her own. Derek frowns a little more, but doesn't ask again. "What about the murder? Did Stiles find anything, did his Dad have anything for you?" She changes the subject now.

Derek nods. "Yeah. We know who the woman was, we don't know what did it though. Reports say animal attack, we say it's what killed the other people, what killed your pack." He says. He realizes his mistake to bring it up when he sees how her face falls. "Ah.. Sorry." He says.

She shakes her head, a frown on her face now. "No, it's.. It's okay." She says, but she have gone without the reminder. Ashlyn clears her throat. "So, who was the girl?" She asks him.

"Early 40s, married.. She has two kids. A little girl and a little boy." Derek tells her.

Ashlyn nods, swallowing the thick lump that forms in her throat. "What happens to the kids now?" She asks him. "The husband must be broken, so.. What happens to the kids?"

Derek's surprised by the question, but with what Ashlyn's been through, and how she's fiercely protective of Tyson, he isn't _too_ surprised. "I don't know, Ashlyn." He answers her honestly. "I'm sure their father will take care of them, grieving or not. They'll be fine."

"Yeah." Ashlyn nods. She looks down at her hands, and then at her wrapped up ankle. "I'm sure they will be." She says to herself, hoping that's right, hoping they don't suffer like Tyson did by losing both his parents, losing the whole pack.

"Hey." Derek moves forward so he can catch her eye. She glances at him from the corner of her eye. "A Dad will always look after his kids, Ashlyn. You don't need to worry."

"Heh." She laughs weakly, a sad look in her eye. "Not always." She says. Derek frowns further, and opens his mouth to ask what she means by that, but she interrupts him. "I might get a little more rest, can I be alone?" She asks him.

Derek closes his mouth, swallowing back his query. He nods, and gets out of his chair. "Yeah, just.. Call out if you need something."

"All right." She nods. She rolls over so she can lay facing the wall. Derek leaves the room then, but when he's closing the door, he sees her body rack softly and the faint smell of salt fills the air as she lets loose a tear or two, then forces the rest back, because she won't give her father, wherever he is now, the satisfaction of getting one over her. Now Derek's dying to ask, but he doesn't because she asked to be alone, and he's sure she's upset, or maybe she's just sore and tired. So, he pulls the door shut and walks up the hall and down the stairs, a tug in his chest telling him to go back in there and make sure she's okay. But he ignores it, because is it really his place to do such a thing? When she first got here, he'd say 'Absolutely not', he wouldn't even consider it, but now.. Now's different, and he isn't sure.

.

 _Later_

Stiles paces his bedroom, trying to call the number he's come to memorize for typing in so many times today. He needs to talk to her, it's driving him crazy, and since she seems to be avoiding him since they haven't bumped into each other or seen each other in passing yet, he knows the only way to do so is to call her, realistically. And Jessie can't keep silencing her phone, so she decides to finally answer it. "Stiles.. I don't wanna do this, can you just-"

"Please, just hold on, don't hang up." He interrupts her before she can even think about leaving him with nothing but a dialtone. "I can explain-"

"I think your actions explained it pretty well." She sighs.

"No, no.. That was-That was a mistake."

"That's what you call me kissing you? A mistake?" Jessie asks, raising her eyebrows, her voice coming out a little angry.

"Wait.. No.. No, that's not what I meant." Stiles shakes his head. He runs his hand through his hair, sighing, because he's nervous and he can't say what he means, he's rambling, he sounds like an idiot. "The way I reacted was a mistake, that's what I meant, Jessie."

"Listen, I get it, you don't like me like I like you, that much is clear. Can we just pretend it never happened-"

"No, Jessie. We can't." Stiles says.

Jessie sighs. "Please? I don't want us to be like this, to be..weird, forever."

"Jessie.. Jesus Christ." Stiles sighs heavily, trying to get the words out.

"Goodbye, Stiles." Jessie says before she hangs up, this time she _does_ leave Stiles alone with only a dialtone in his ear. Jessie puts her phone down on her bed, looking at it with an unsure feeling twirling in the pit of her stomach. Stiles keeps reaching out, but his reaction to her pressing her lips to his pretty much shows her how he feels about her. Then there's Derek, he knows something's up with her, and he isn't going to avoid the subject forever, no matter how much she pouts and cries and asks him to leave it alone. Her phone rings again, and she sees Stiles' name on the screen. She flicks the silence back on like she's had all day before she picks up her basket of dirty clothes, walking it down to the laundry, hoping she can continue on with her day without thinking about this thing with Stiles constantly.

.

.

 **Yes, I know, I didn't resolve Stiles and Jessie's situation, but I will next chapter!**

 **I just want to ask, how many of you want this burn between Derek and Ashlyn to become 'physical'? Not right now, but later on. Or, do you want it to be a push and pull of feelings that never really go very far? I'm very curious to know, because I'm drafting out some future chapters, so let me know!**

 **Favorite! Follow! Review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**jayesh dms – Yes, I agree! I dropped a few hints, basically Jessie kissed Stiles while they where at the park, and he was so surprised that she thought he was rejecting her, poor Jess!**

 **PsychoticSmartypants – I see what you mean, I think it'd be good to mix both an emotional side and a physical side together, but only physical when the time is right and they've had the heart fluttering moments!**

 **momentum123 – Agreed! But only when the time's right :)**

.

 _Thursday 26th May - The Next Day_

Derek finds himself looking down at his phone, looking at a text he received from Chris. Chris is calling an urgent, mandatory meeting of his hunters and Derek's pack. Derek knows Chris wouldn't reach out like this unless it was necessary, and with the new murder, with them knowing it's an 'animal' _again_ , this meeting is necessary.

"What's up?" Isaac asks, seeing Derek's eyebrows pulled into a light frown.

Derek looks up at him. "Round everyone up, we're going out." Derek says before he heads for the stairs.

"Everyone? Like everyone everyone?" Isaac asks, watching Derek walk away. "Because Ashlyn's ankle still isn't 100%-"

"I'll get Ashlyn, you call Scott, Stiles and Danny, and I'll grab Jessie." Derek interrupts him, as he was already on his way up to Ashlyn and Tyson's bedroom.

Isaac hides his smile as he nods and goes into the living room to get his phone off the coffee table. He sees how Derek's different when it comes to Ashlyn, he isn't sure why or what it is. If Isaac's being completely honest and if he knows a thing or two on the subject of romance, he'd go as far to say that Derek might have a teeny weeny little crush on the she-jaguar. Of course he'll never say that to Derek's face, because Isaac likes to be living and breathing. And he'll never say it to Ashlyn's face either, because she'd claw him to pieces, ripped up ankle or not.

Derek goes into Ashlyn's room, finding the girl is awake, laying there, looking sour. But when he walks towards her, some of that sourness disappears from her face. "How are you feeling?" Derek asks, standing beside her bed.

"It still hurts, but I'm fine." She says. "I wanna get up and moving today, I don't wanna lay here anymore."

"That's actually why I'm here." Derek says. "All of us need to go meet up with Chris."

"Argent?" Ashlyn questions, frowning now. "The hunter?"

"Yes." Derek nods. "We have a place, where there's temporary truce, we can't fight there, it's equal ground. It means we'll all be fine as long as we stick to those rules too." He tells her.

"I don't trust him. I don't trust his hunters. And I don't trust those rules." She says, only speaking honestly.

Derek exhales out his nose and nods. "You don't have to come, you can stay." He says, then turns around to leave.

"Hey, wait." She says. He turns back around to face her. She sits up and carefully moves her ankle, putting both feet to the floor. "Just because I don't trust them doesn't mean I'm not coming with you guys." She says.

Derek's lips twitch upwards, and he moves forward to help her.

.

Scott, Danny and Stiles get out of Stiles' Jeep, doors closing behind them. Derek, Jessie, Isaac and Ashlyn get out of the Camaro, parked beside the Jeep. Derek notices the look on Ashlyn's face. "Hey." He touches her arm, to get her attention, and she looks at him. "Melissa and John are perfectly capable of looking after Tyson for a little while. Trust me, I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise." He tells her.

Ashlyn nods, but she and Tyson are so attached that she can't help but feel nervous.

The tension settles in as fast as it possibly can.

Danny and Isaac's eyes lock, and Derek rolls his eyes, because he can hear the way both of their hearts speed up. Scott huffs a breath out his nose, and stays standing with Danny, hoping it'll stop Isaac from talking to her. It does, but Isaac still gives her a smile, and Danny returns it with her knock-out smile that makes Isaac's heart beat even faster. It's soppy. It's disgustingly soppy, but they can't help the way they feel.

Then there's Jessie and Stiles. Stiles looks at her, and opens his mouth to say something, to plead his case like she wouldn't let him do on the phone, but she avoids eye contact with him and stands as close to Derek as she can, using the same method Scott is but for herself. And she knows damn well that Stiles won't approach her with Derek right there.

"You okay?" Derek asks, noticing how Jessie sticks with him as opposed to Isaac or Ashlyn.

Jessie nods. "Yeah, just.." She glances at Stiles, then back at her brother, crossing her arms over her chest. "Just a little nervous about this."

"Don't be. We'll all be fine, we're just here to talk." Derek assures her. "All right?"

"Yeah, all right." Jessie nods.

Stiles sighs, looking away from her too. Scott notices his best friend's frown. "Hey, man, what's going on?" He asks.

"..nothin'." Stiles mumbles, and walks faster so he can be by himself.

Scott sighs now too, and continues to walk with Danny, all following Derek towards the 'equal grounds' location.

And the hunters are all already there, standing together, waiting for them to arrive. "Fashionably late." Kate comments snarkily as the pack come to a stop metres away from them. Equal grounds or not, they don't like each other, they don't want to be too close.

Zak's eyes fall to Ashlyn before anyone else, lingering on her in a way that makes her shuffle uncomfortably. Derek sees this and he stares down Zak until the other man focuses on Derek instead of Ashlyn, giving Derek a smug smirk.

"For those of you who don't know, or are new-" Chris looks at Ashlyn specifically. "-these are equal grounds, which means we don't fight here. It's the only place we will have a truce, unless someone attacks first, then it's out the window. Are we clear?" He asks, and he's still looking at Ashlyn.

"She already knows, she doesn't need to hear it again." Derek says before Ashlyn can say anything, because Chris is talking to her like she's a little kid, and Derek doesn't like it.

Chris looks at him, smirking a little. Derek's more protective of this new girl than Chris first thought. "You'll all know by now that there's been another murder." Chris starts. "I trust it wasn't any of you-"

"It wasn't." Jessie speaks out, her voice harder than normal.

"Good." Chris replies. "Which means we have a problem on our hands, something else has come to this town. It's killing people, innocent people. We're going to do our job, we're going to stop them. But.." He looks down, then up again, like he finds this hard to say. "But, we're going to need some help." Chris suggests. His group of hunters look at him in surprise, it's Kate and Zak that look especially annoyed by this.

"Help? You want help?" Derek asks him. " _Our_ help?"

"More or less, yes." Chris nods, not bothering to look at the people around him that obviously disapprove. But Chris cares more about stopping the thing slaughtering people than being at the pack's throats right now, these murders are more important. But apparently, he's the only one of them that can clearly see that.

Derek scoffs, but doesn't know what to think of the request. "If we _were_ to help you.. What's in it for us?" He asks the man.

"Derek?" Scott says quietly.

"Wait." Derek says to him before looking back at Chris. "You wouldn't help us out of the goodness of your heart, so why should we do the same for you?" He asks Chris.

"An opportunity to save people, innocent people. Mothers, fathers, children.." Chris says, but Derek still looks unconvinced. "Your family grew up here, your parents were born here, Derek. I know how much this town means to you." Chris says.

All amusement or snark drops from the Alpha's face, and the wolves can tell by the smell of the Alpha that Chris crossed the line bringing that part of his life up. Jessie grabs her brother's arm before he can even move, holding onto it tightly. "Not here." She says to him quietly.

Derek's jaw pulses, but he doesn't move. He takes a deep breath in through his nose, trying his hardest to brush those comments off and not explode on Chris, because he knows the hunters would love that, then they'd have an excuse to attack. "We're going to stop this thing regardless." Derek says, keeping calm.

"You need help. You know you do." Chris says. "What do you say, Derek? Just for this, we'll be at a truce, a complete truce, everywhere. We kill this thing together, and who knows, maybe he can get off each other's backs afterwards. I don't really care, all I care about to stopping this thing, but we can't do it alone, and neither can you. So, what do you say?" Chris asks him.

Derek glances back at his pack, seeing they all look uncertain and skeptical. It's not always obvious, but he often looks to Jessie for guidance, just like he used to do with Laura or his Mom. Jessie looks up at him and he can see her brother's asking her what he should do, just by the look on his face. "We can't prove it, but one of them was involved with the fire, I know it." Jessie says under her breath.

Ashlyn's brows pull into a confused frown, unsure what Jessie means by that, but unsure if she should ask as it's obvious this conversation, even if heard by others, is between Jessie and Derek.

"I don't trust them, not even a little bit." Jessie tells them. "Don't trust them, don't work with them, Derek. it's a bad idea and you know it." She says.

Derek looks at her for a moment longer before he looks back up at Chris.

"So, what will it be?" Chris asks him.

"No." Derek says, and he can tell Chris is a little surprised he objected. "We'll take it down on our own, we don't need your help."

"You'll take it down?" Zak scoffs. "You couldn't-"

"Enough." Chris stops him. He looks back at Derek. "Are you sure about this? This is the only time I'm going to offer."

"He's sure." Jessie answers for him.

"We all are." Scott backs them up, because he doesn't want to work with them either.

Chris' eyes scan each member of the Hale pack, before they fall back to Derek. "Fine. We settle at a no." He says simply. "We work alone, maybe even die alone." He foreshadows.

"That's fine with me." Derek says.

Chris huffs out a laugh and smirks. "Let's go." He says to his hunters.

"Good, I don't trust murderers." Danny says to Jessie, because she knows the story of the fire, and she agrees with Jessie, one of them had something to do with that fire, they had too.

Kate catches what Danny says, and she snaps, even though the others ignore it. She storms over to the girl, grabbing her arm when the pack are about to walk away too. "What did you just say?" Kate asks her angrily.

"Kate!" Chris calls.

Scott turns and sees Kate's hand on his sister, and his eyes start to glow yellow as he moves towards them, but Isaac's faster.

Isaac growls, his eyes turning gold, as he rips Kate's hand away from Danny, shoving her back roughly. "Isaac.." Derek warns, all now facing the two.

"One move, and the truce is gone." Chris reminds the wolf, seeing the way the younger male is staring at Kate, his own hand in his jacket where he has a gun _just in case_.

"I don't care about the truce." Isaac says. Then his eyes flick back to Kate. "Don't ever grab her again." He warns her.

Scott looks between Kate and Isaac, wondering what's going to happen. He pulls Danny behind him protectively, in case something does happens.

"Kate." Chris says. "Kate." He says louder when the blonde just glares at Isaac. "Let's go." Chris instructs. Kate narrows her eyes at Isaac, then looks at Danny, before she backs up. Chris leaves, being followed by his hunters, Zak and Kate backing up the rear. Kate eyes Danny and Isaac once more, at the same time that Zak sends Ashlyn a wink.

Derek goes over to Isaac. "What were you thinking?" He asks the beta.

Isaac blinks and his eyes are baby blue again, looking innocent. "I was thinking I wasn't going to let one of them put their hands on Danny, just like you wouldn't let them do it to Jessie." Isaac says.

Instead of getting mad, because Isaac has a very good point, Derek just remains collected. "Don't do it again." Is all he says, before he starts leading the pack back towards their cars.

Isaac turns back to Danny who steps out from behind Scott, walking over to Isaac. "You okay?" He asks her.

"Yeah." Danny nods. "Thanks." She says.

"It was nothing.." Isaac trails off, seeing Scott come over to him as well. The two betas just look at each other. The others stop, noticing this stand-off. But then, much to everyone's surprise, Scott lets out a small laugh. He pats Isaac on the shoulder, then walks away. They all watch Scott walk away, and when he reaches Derek, Derek starts to walk too. Isaac just watches them all walk away, leaving he and Danny alone. And when they are alone, he looks back at Danny.

A smile comes to Danny's face, because she knows Scott appreciated what Isaac did for her, even though he was about to do the exact same thing, maybe worse, and that that was Scott's way of putting his feelings aside and giving Isaac a chance. "So.."

"So.." Isaac scratches the back of his neck. "Um.. Do you think I could.. You know.. Finish what we started the other night?" Isaac asks her shyly, because for once they're actually alone.

Danny nods. "Yeah. Yeah, of course." She allows.

"Okay.. Here we go." Isaac takes a breath, because this is going to be his first kiss, and he's feeling a little nervous like the other night of the sofa. But as soon as he begins to lean, his nerves start to disappear, because it feels so right. Their lips come together softly, and both find their eyes have slipped closed. The kiss is soft, and it's quick, but it's enough. Not that they have a choice, because..

"Okay, that's enough time alone, hurry up!" Scott calls out to them.

"Um, we should go. Heh." Danny chuckles with a blush.

"Yeah, good idea." Isaac nods.

.

 _Later_

They all go back to Derek's loft, for no specific reason, they just do. "Hey, man. You're going to drive me and Danny home still, right?" Scott asks Stiles, seeing as his best friend was quite moody before.

"Yeah, just.." Stiles nods, looking over at Jessie, seeing the girl go upstairs on her own. "Just give me a few minutes."

"To do what?" Scott asks.

"Do me a favor, try to keep Derek busy." Stiles says to him, not answering his other question.

"Um.. Okay." Scott nods, looking a little confused.

Stiles nods thankfully and heads over to the stairs nonchalantly, seeing Scott go over to Derek and begin talking to the Alpha. Stiles creeps up the stairs, heading down the hall. He comes to Jessie's bedroom, finding the door's shut. He takes a deep breath and brings his fist up. He hesitates, finding himself nervous. He goes to touch his knuckles to the wood but the door's opened before he can make contact.

Jessie crosses her arms over her chest, raising her eyebrows. "You're really loud." She points out. She could hear his mind working, wondering if he should bother or just leave with Scott and Danny. "What do you want? I'm sort of busy."

"Well.. I wanna talk." Stiles says.

"Yeah, we already did that. So, if it's nothing important then-" She goes to close the door again but Stiles catches it.

"No, wait." He says, holding it open. "Firstly, we didn't talk about it, you said some things and then hung up on me. We didn't talk." He clears up.

"Is that so?" She asks him.

"Yeah, that is so." Stiles nods. "Now, let me in and let me say my piece."

She raises her eyebrows even further, almost looking as menacing as Derek when he does it. It makes him even more nervous.

"Uh.. I mean, please let me and please let me say my piece." He corrects himself, scratching his arm awkwardly.

She eyes him up and down, looking between both eyes, wondering if she should or not. She kind of likes how he's being more assertive compared to when they talked on the phone, or when they'd see each other in passing.

"C'mon, Jess. Please. Just a couple minutes, that's all I need." Stiles coaxes.

She sighs and he almost thinks she's going to slam the door in his face. But she doesn't. She opens it back up and walks into her room. "Close it behind you." She says, walking over to her bed and sitting back down where she was earlier.

He comes in, and shuts the door behind me as told too. He turns to her, finding the girl looking at him expectedly. She nods to the desk chair and he goes and sits on it, moving a little closer to where she's sitting.

"Make this quick then." She says, sounding sour.

"Jessie, I think you have it all wrong." He says. "Okay, no, I _know_ you have it all wrong." He corrects himself again.

"How so?" She asks him. "I was there, I know how you reacted."

"That's what I mean, Jessie. You've got it all wrong. I wasn't rejecting you or doubting it, it wasn't like that." He says.

"Really?" She asks sarcastically.

"Yes, really. Could you just believe me?" He says. She says nothing. "I was surprised, I was a little shocked, I didn't think that's what was going to come of us talking that day. That's why I walked away from you."

"Stiles, you didn't just walk away from me. You pretty much pushed me back and took off." She says, frowning now as she thinks about it and because she still feels that sting.

"I didn't mean to do that." He says. "Like I said, I was surprised, really surprised."

"Surprised people don't do that." She comments.

"You're my friend, Jessie, but God, just shut up for a second, okay? Please?" He says light-heartedly.

She sighs, and doesn't say anything.

"Think of it this way, an insanely attractive person suddenly has their lips on yours and you have no idea what to do or how to react, so you do the first thing that comes to mind." Stiles says.

Jessie's about to say something like 'The first thing that came to your mind was run?', but Stiles gives her a look, knowing she'd make a comment like that, so she stays quiet, continuing to give him the floor and the time to talk.

Christ, Jess.. I.. I like you." Stiles finally says.

Jessie finds she has nothing to say back to that, she just keeps looking at him.

"That whole situation was made worse because I actually like you, I've liked you for a long time. I've liked you since I meet you." He admits, because once he starts to ramble, he can't stop. "I remember when Scott and I got into this whole mess with Derek, it was crazy. Then I saw you, and he introduced you to us, and Jesus.. I was hooked from there." He says.

Jessie's heart beats faster as she listens to him talk, as she listens to how sincere he sounds. " I just.. It hurt when you did that to me. I thought maybe.. Maybe you thought I wasn't attractive, or-or-"

He cuts her nervous reply to his confession by leaning forward and kissing her, like he should have done when she leant in and kissed him that day at the park, or those swings. He brushes his thumb over her cheek, before he pulls back slowly. His eyes open and he finds the girl looks like she's in a tipsy state. Her eyes are still closed, like she's surprised herself, or maybe it's because even the smallest kiss from him is quite intoxicating. "Trust me, I find you _very_ attractive." Stiles says.

Her eyes slowly open, and she just looks at him again, her lips tingling like mini fizzing fireworks. So.. That's what it feels like when he actually kisses you back, huh?

They both look at the door when there's a knock and it opens. "Sorry, but, we have to go, buddy." Scott says, poking his head in. "Derek'll be up soon as well, so.." That's his way of telling Stiles to wrap whatever this is up quickly before Derek sees him in here and gets the wrong idea.

"Okay." Stiles nods. He stands up, pushing the desk chair back into place.

Jessie stands up too, moving towards him. She takes his face into her hands and she kisses him, just like she did at the park that day. And this time, Stiles is far more prepared, and he kisses her back.

Scott just stands there, his mouth hanging open, his jaw touching the floor almost, his eyes wide.

They pull back, and both teens cheeks are flushed a little red. "I'm gonna text you later, is that okay?" Stiles asks her.

"Mmm hmm." Jessie nods, biting back a smile. "I'll talk to you later then."

"Yeah." Stiles nods. The two dettach, Stiles going over to Scott.

"Hey." Jessie says, making Stiles look back at her.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for all this.. I made a mistake, and then blamed you for it. I'm sorry we were fighting." She swallows her pride to apologise.

But Stiles shakes his head. "It's not your fault." He says. "It's on me too. But it's over with now, right?"

"Right." She nods.

"Good." Stiles gives a small smile. "Bye, Jess."

"Bye, Stiles. Scott, you saw _nothing_ , got it?"

"Got it." Scott nods. Stiles chuckles and he leaves her room with Scott, closing the door behind them. "So.."

"You saw nothing, remember?" Stiles teases, looking at his best friend with a grin, looking much more like his happy self again.

"Oh, _come on_." Scott whines, because he did see all that, and Stiles has to give him some details or something, _anything._ It's how brotherhood works.

.

.

 **I really hoped you all enjoyed that chapter, because I enjoyed writing it, and giving you Disaac and Stessie being happy :) Of course I want to write more Dashlyn, but in good time!**

 **Favorite! Follow! Review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**I've been sick recently, so I've been in bed with my laptop, and I've got to say, I have** ** _a lot_** **of exciting and maybe even twisted things coming up for you all in this fic! Enjoy!**

 **I've also decided to make the chapters longer, maybe even combining more than one day together (you may have noticed one chapter is usually one day), so I hope that's exciting too!**

 **.**

 _Friday 27_ _th_ _May – The Next Morning_

Ashlyn carries a sleepy but awakening Tyson down to the kitchen. "Lets fix you up some breakfast, hmm?" She says to him, opening the fridge. She can almost laugh at how normal this now seems, being here in this loft with other people, being able to go into the fridge and get something out like it's nothing. But she doesn't think she'll ever get used to being human, she's still getting used to her body not being covered in fur and not walking around on four paws 24/7.

Ashlyn takes a yogurt pot from the fridge, and takes Tyson to the table, grabbing a spoon from the drawer on her way. She takes the top off after she sets him on her knee. "Here." She puts the yogurt down in front of the toddler, and hands him the spoon.

He's quite coordinated with it all as he begins spooning yogurt into his mouth, relieving his grumbling stomach.

Ashlyn looks over at the living room, and she finds the Alpha. He stands by the window, just looking out of it, obviously pondering.

But not pondering deep enough, because he feels the set of eyes that fall on him. "Yes?" He says, turning to face her.

"Nothing." Ashlyn says, still looking at him. "You just seem... I don't know." She frowns a little. "You look regretful.

"Hmm." Is all he gives as a reply. He leans against the wall, looking over at her and Tyson.

"Has it got anything to do with yesterday?" Ashlyn asks him.

"Wha' happened yesterday?" Tyson perks up, looking up at his Aunt with a yogurt mustache.

"Doesn't matter, Ty, just keep eating." She says. She lifts him off of her lap and puts him back down on the seat. When he begins to eat again, she goes over to Derek. "Was it yesterday?" She asks him again. "With Chris?"

"I don't know." He answers. "Just maybe… Maybe we could have used their help. I don't know. I don't know how we take this thing down." He speaks honestly, maybe more openly than he means to be.

"I think we can do it." Ashlyn says. Derek looks back up at her, finding her already looking at him. "Well… We _have_ too. What it did to my pack..." Her face falls and she can no longer hold eye contact with the man, instead looking out the window he was looking out before. She looks at the people down below, getting ready to start their days, going to work, to school, leading _normal_ lives. "We have too." She says again, quieter, still not looking at him.

"I know we do." He nods. "The town is depending on us too." He says, more to himself.

"They are." She nods, looking back at him now. "What Chris said back there... About your parents, and then Jessie said something about a fire-"

"Forget it." Derek cuts her off.

"Your decision weighed on that, Derek, I could tell."

"My decision weighed on what was right."

"No, not just that." Ashlyn shakes her head. "Did something happen with the hunters? Did they have something to do with a fire-"

"I said forget it, Ashlyn." He cuts her off again, this time louder, this time angrier.

The she-jaguar shuts her mouth, and she just studies the Apha's face. Yeah, there's definitely something she doesn't know about.

"Don't ask again." He warns, before he walks away from her.

"Hi, De'ick." Tyson pipes in as the Alpha passes him.

Ashlyn frowns as Derek ignores the boy, walking straight past him and then out the front door, letting it slam shut behind him.

Tyson frowns too, and rests his spoon on the table. He looks over at Ashlyn. "Is De'ick mad at me?" He asks her, because he gave the man a big cheesy smile even, and he gave Tyson nothing in return. He'd at least give a sign of a smile or a nod usually. And that's enough for Tyson, just to be acknowledged by the man that he's slowly getting more and more comfortable with.

"No, sweetheart. I promise." Ashlyn says, going back over to him. "Derek's just grumpy and sleepy like you are sometimes." She lies, sitting back down with the young boy. "C'mon, let's finish this and go do some coloring."

.

 _Later_

Her cell reads 7 minutes past 4 when her brother walks back in the front door. "Where were you?" Jessie asks him, sitting down at the table and having something to eat herself. When she got home from school, he was still nowhere in sight.

"Where's Isaac?" Derek ignores her question, blocking it with one of his own.

"Upstairs, probably asleep by now. Long day at school." She tells him. "What's going on?" She asks.

"Nothing." He says.

"Really?" She says, not believing him. "Because our new roommates seem uncomfortable today, and you've been off somewhere since I left for school."

"And those two things are related how?"

"I never said they were." She says coolly. "I was just pointing them out."

He grunts, and leaves the room. She watches him walk away, knowing there's something wrong. He seems quite hostile right now, so she'll give him a moment before she investigates any further. She knows when to pick her battles, and right now she can see he needs to be left alone.

Jessie continues to eat, and it's only minutes later when footsteps enter the kitchen again. But these ones are lighter than her brother's. She turns and sees Ashlyn, giving her a smile. "Hey."

"Hey." She replies without a smile. She takes the seat beside Jessie's, surprising the younger girl.

"Everything okay?" Jessie asks her, even though she knows something's up.

"What did Chris mean yesterday?" Ashlyn asks her. "He talked about your parents. I feel like I don't have the full story about those hunters. I don't like that, I have a nephew to protect. I need to know if there's more to it." She explains.

"Uh… Um… Ashlyn, I..." Jessie stutters. "It's complicated." She settles with.

Ashlyn assesses Jessie, like she did with Derek, because she knows there's something they're not telling her. But she can't force it out of them. It was painful when she had to blurt out what had happened to her pack, she wanted to keep it to herself. But looking back at it now, she's almost glad they know, because now they can all help catch the thing that did it.

"Just tell me something... Should I be more worried about them?" Ashlyn asks the girl.

Jessie looks down at her plate for a moment. She looks back up at Ashlyn and she nods. "Yes. Don't trust them, no matter what they say." Jessie says. "Keep Tyson away from any of them."

Ashlyn nods, leaving it at that. She can tell it's a sensitive subject for Jessie, so she doesn't question it further. And she keeps Jessie's advice in mind, because she's sure Jessie wouldn't have said it if she didn't really believe it.

.

 _That Evening_

"You didn't have to come." Isaac says, looking at Ashlyn sitting in the passenger seat. "I go get the groceries alone all the time."

"I just wanted to get out of the house for awhile." Ashlyn half-lies. She looks at Tyson in the mirrors.

Isaac glances at him too. "You alright back there, little man?" He asks.

"Yes." Tyson nods.

Isaac gives a small smile and looks back at the road.

.

"Well, that's about it. Maybe just some milk and we're done." Isaac assesses. "You want anything?"

"No, thanks." Ashlyn shakes her head.

"What about Tyson? He have a favorite candy or something?" Isaac asks.

Well…" Ashlyn trails off.

"Ashlyn?" Isaac says.

"Wait... Tyson?" Ashlyn spins around, checking around her. "Oh, God... Tyson?"

"What's wrong?" Isaac asks, smelling her distress.

"Tyson's gone." She stresses. "I turned my back for a second."

"It's okay. His scent's close, c'mon." Isaac says, and they start following it.

They round an isle, and see the boy. Then they see the other man with him. "Get away from him." Ashlyn growls.

Chris looks to his left, finding them both glaring at him. "This is your Aunt?" Chris asks Tyson.

Tyson nods.

"Tyson, get over here." Ashlyn says.

Chris doesn't stop the child at all, he lets Tyson go back over to Ashlyn. As soon as he's close, Ashlyn pulls him behind her. "He was lost, I was just-"

"I don't care." Ashlyn cuts him off.

Chris looks between the wolf and the jaguar, seeing they both look _very_ tense and on edge after having seen Tyson with him. "I was going to help him."

"Never touch, talk to, or approach him again." Isaac backs Ashlyn up.

"I wouldn't hurt a child." Chris says, keeping his cool unlike the two were-creatures.

"Yeah, I'm sure Derek would agree with that." Isaac retorts sarcastically.

Ashlyn glances at him, because there's that hint at something she doesn't have any idea about.

"We had nothing to do with the f-"

"I don't believe you." Isaac stops him. "C'mon, Ashlyn. Let's go." Isaac says, throwing Chris one last dirty look before turning his back.

Ashlyn looks over at Chris, and for some reason what Jessie said about the hunters being more dangerous then they appear doesn't feel like it applies as forcefully to Chris. But Ashlyn isn't taking any chances. "Leave Tyson alone." She throws in, before taking Tyson's hand and following Isaac.

Chris watches them walk away together. He's almost interested in how well the she-jaguar has slotted into the Hale pack, even if not officially. He's also surprised at how protective the Hale pack seem to be of both Ashlyn and Tyson, even if they've only been in town for a short time. He is also intrigued to know why the whole Hale pack seem to _firmly_ believe that the Argents or their hunters had something to do with the Hale fire. Chris gave Derek his word, but still none of them believe it to be true. Why that is, that's something Chris would like to find out.

.

 _Later_

Derek wets his lips with his tongue and sits down on the sofa. He rubs his hands down his face, because he doesn't really want to talk this through, but he knows he needs too. Ashlyn won't stop until she knows the truth, not when she has a child under her care. "Ashlyn. We need to talk." He says.

The girl turns around, looking at him. "I think you need some space-"

"Sit down." He says.

"I don't want to be yelled at again." She says.

"Jessie and I… We're the only Hales left." He starts anyway, because he isn't going to argue with her.

"What?" Ashlyn frowns, and she moves to sit down on the other sofa, looking at him. "What do you mean? What about your family? Your parents?"

Derek shakes his head. "6 years ago.. There was a fire at my house." He starts to tell her.

Ashlyn's face falls, she can put this together easy enough.

"Laura, our big sister. Our Mom. Our Dad. Peter, our Uncle. And Cora, our younger sister." He says. "They were all trapped inside, and they didn't make it out." He tells her.

"...oh, my God." Ashlyn mutters under her breath.

"We haven't been able to prove it, and the police department didn't have enough evidence to make an arrest, but…" Derek looks up at her now, meeting her eyes. "One of them did, one of those hunters."

"How do you know?" She asks him.

"They were the only ones who knew about us. They were the only ones who knew what we are." Derek says. "It was one of them, or more. I don't know. But our family's blood is on their hands." Derek says, standing up, because he's done talking about this.

Ashlyn stands up too, catching up to him. She catches him by the sleeve of his leather jacket, making him stop and turn back around to face her. "You're sure about them?" She asks him.

Derek nods. "Jessie and I have never been more sure about anything before."

She looks between his two green orbs and lets his sleeve go. "I'm really sorry, Derek." She says sincerely.

"Me too, about your pack." He says. "That shouldn't have happened." She nods and looks down at her feet. "Hey." Derek says. Ashlyn slowly looks back up at him. "Are you planning to stay, Ashlyn? With us?" He asks her. The question takes the girl by surprise.

"I… I didn't know that was an option." She says, because in the beginning she was just supposed to heal then leave, but then everyone got closer to her and Tyson, and things changed.

"Well, it is." Derek says. He's had the pack coming up to him a lot, especially lately, asking him if and when Ashlyn's taking off. They don't sound very keen on having her go, they'd very much prefer if she stayed. "The pack have been asking me if you are or not, I said I'd talk to you. So, the decision's yours." He says, turning his back again and walking away, leaving her there to wonder and question what it is she actually wants to do, and what's actually best for her and especially Tyson.

.

 _Late That Night_

Derek turns off the lights downstairs and heads for the stairs, using his wolf eyes to see in the dark. He begins walking down to his room but finds there's one more light on up here. It's the dim lamp in Tyson and Ashlyn's room. He stops outside their door, finding it's open a little. He brings up his fist to knock, because it's quite late and she'd normally be asleep by now so something might be wrong, but two crystal blue eyes meet his before his hand makes the contact. "What is it?" Ashlyn asks him quietly.

Derek comes into the room enough to lean against the doorframe. "How come you're still up?" He asks her, speaking quietly as well, because Tyson's sleeping.

"How come you are?" She asks. Derek lets out an amused exhale. "I've been doing some thinking… About what you said…" She admits, looking down at her hands as she fidgets.

Derek takes it as a sign of nervousness and believes she's going to tell him she and Tyson are leaving. He isn't sure he likes that thought very much at all.

She stops and looks up at him again. "I'd like to stay." She says, taking him by surprise but he doesn't let it show.

Derek nods. "You can stay." He says.

"Thank you." She says.

"Get some sleep, Ashlyn." He advises, slipping back out of her room. And when he goes into his room and gets into his own bed, he feels lighter.

.

 _Saturday 28_ _th_ _May – The Next Morning_

Kate leans against the wall of the guest room, watching as her cousin paces back and forth, frustration clear by the look on his face. "He said no. That so-called 'Alpha' said no." Zak huffs.

"We had a feeling Derek would say no." Kate says, as she looks down at her fingernails, inspecting them. "He still thinks our family had something to do with the fire."

"Then we need to change his mind." Zak says, coming to a stop, looking up at Kate. "We need to make him say yes."

"And how are we going to do that?" Kate asks, looking up at him now too, her interest becoming pecked.

"That new girl, Ashlyn." Zak says. "He has this _thing_ for her. I don't know what it is. But we can manipulate that, we can bend it to our advantage. You and I both know that's something you do well." Zak says.

Kate smirks, because she _knows_ she does that well. "How are we going to get to her? With Derek and the others around, we won't get anywhere near her. You've already tried, and failed." Kate reminds him.

Zak shoots her a glare, but moves past it. "We need to make a distraction then, something that will get the wolves out of the way at least. Humans, we can deal with easily, but those wolves need to be out of range first." Zak says. "We pin her down, and we get answers. I want to know where she came from, how she is what she is, I want to know it all."

Kate nods. "She would make for an interesting chapter in the Bestiary." Kate muses.

"My point exactly." Zak says. "But I need you. Not Chris, not any of his men, I need _you_. They don't understand. It needs to just be us. Are you in, or out?" He asks her.

Kate pushes off the wall, a grin spreading across her face.

.

 _Later_

"Get up, we have to go." Derek says, flashing through the living room, pulling his leather jacket on.

"Wha'?" Jessie's startled awake, having fallen asleep on the sofa, having a lazy Saturday afternoon. Isaac stirs and wakes as well, both having been watching the television. "Wha's going on?" She asks sleepily.

"They've found another dead body, just now. Isaac, you need to come with me. Jessie, stay here with Ashlyn and Tyson." Derek directs.

Ashlyn comes jogging down the stairs, holding Tyson in her arms. "What's going on?" She asks.

"Isaac and I have to go. You're staying here with Jessie." He directs.

"What? Why? What happened?" Ashlyn asks, moving closer to the wolves. "Derek, what happened?" She asks him, grabbing his sleeve when he doesn't answer her.

Derek pauses and looks at the girl, seeing she's concerned. "They found another dead body. I need you to stay here-"

"No, I should come, I can help-"

"No, stay here. We're getting Scott, we'll be fine." Derek stops her. Ashlyn's frown deepens. "Just.. I need someone to watch Jessie, keep her safe. Please. Stay here." He says quieter, so the words are only shared between he and Ashlyn.

Ashlyn exhales out her nose but nods. "Fine. I'll stay." Derek nods and moves to leave with Isaac, but Ashlyn grabs him again. "If anything happens while you're out there, call out, and I'll come." She says.

Derek nods. "Okay." He agrees. "Isaac, let's go." Derek says, looking at the younger male. Isaac nods and they head for the door. Derek glances back at the girls, seeing they both look worried. "Nothing's going to happen to us, we'll be fine." He tells them, looking between the two. "We'll be okay." He says, and then he and Isaac are gone.

"I don't like this." Jessie says with a worried frown.

"They'll come back, Jessie." Ashlyn says, even though she's feeling the same things Jessie is. Something doesn't feel right.

.

"Stay quiet." Derek instructs the two wolves in a very low voice. He leads them into the back of the ambulance through the back doors, making sure the authorities are too busy to come back yet.

"This is the body?" Isaac guesses in a voice as quiet as Derek's.

Derek nods. He carefully removes the shroud covering the body, and it reveals a woman. The two betas find they cringe and look away, because it's horrible. But Derek's seen more death then they could ever know, he's got a tougher stomach. The woman's shirt is sliced to ribbons, it shows the lacerations all over her stomach, it's obviously what caused her to bleed to death. But Derek notices something strange. "Wait… No…" He studies the wounds closer.

"Derek, what's wrong?" Scott asks, looking at the Alpha now and seeing the slightly confused look on his face.

"No, this is different." Derek says, looking at the body. "The marks, they're not the same as the others. Something isn't right here."

"What do you mean? It's claw marks, it's gotta be the Alpha, the same one that killed those people." Isaac says, looking at Derek now too.

"No. Look closer." Derek instructs, but neither beta really wants too. Derek brings his claws out, imitating the attack above the claw marks, like he did with the bodies in the morgue. "These are too precise." Derek shakes his head. "It's like these wounds weren't done with claws at all."

Scott frowns. "Derek, what the hell's going on here?"

Derek covers the body again, his own mind already reeling for an answer. "Someone wanted us to come here. "

"Like a trap?" Isaac asks, then looks around the ambulance like he's waiting for something to jump out.

But Derek gives no answer, still trying to think of one. "Derek? Derek, what is this?" Scott asks him, growing more and more concerned like Isaac is. "Derek?"

Derek looks at Scott and the realization dawns over him, making his stomach drop. "Because now Jessie and Ashlyn are at the loft by themselves." He says. The Alpha pushes past them, jumping out of the ambulance. The two betas follow but the worry for his sister and their guest has Derek already flying through the treeline ahead of them.

.

Ashlyn sits on the sofa. Her knee hops up and down, as they wait for Isaac and Derek to return and tell them what the hell's going on.

Upstairs, Jessie showers, just an impatient as Ashlyn is. She turns the shower tap off and steps out. She fishes her towel off the sink counter and wraps it around her. She intends to go to her room to get dressed, but finds that when she turns the door handle, it's locked. So she presses the lock again to unlock it, not that she remembers locking it in the first place, but nothing happens. She frowns, trying to open the door, but it won't budge. "Ashlyn?" She says. "Ashlyn?" She calls out louder, because this joke or whatever it is isn't funny anymore. "Ashlyn, open the door." She sighs loudly, because she's _really_ not in the mood for games right now.

Ashlyn hears Jessie and frowns, standing up. She barely gets to take one step before her entire body spasms and she drops to the floor with a hard thud, hitting her head against the floor.

"You were right. This was too easy."

Ashlyn looks up, her body twitching without her permission, finding Kate and Zak stand over her. Her first thought is Tyson and Jessie, because she doesn't want these two anywhere near those two. But they're both upstairs.

Kate blows at the barrel of her taser, like it's a gun. "And here I was actually a little worried that this Aztec 'warrior' was going to be more problematic." She says, rolling her eyes.

Ashlyn glares up at her, her body jerking some more as the electricity pumps around her body like blood.

"Hello, again." Zak says, crouching down beside her. He reaches out and tucks some of her messed hair behind her ear. She hates it, but her body won't cooperate and do something about it.

"My cousin and I are going to ask you a few questions. You're going to answer them." Kate informs her.

"And if I don't?" Ashlyn regrets the words the second they leave her mouth, because Kate dips the taser back into the curve of her neck, making her cry out in pain.

"If you don't…" Kate pulls it back and lets the taser hang by her side. "I take my new toy here upstairs and see how the girl and the baby like it."

"Don't t-touch them." Ashlyn grounds out, trying her best to move or shift or do anything, but the electricity isn't allowing any of it.

"Then answer our questions." Zak says. "There's a few things we want to know about you, about your kind. How did you become what you are, were you bitten or born this way? How come you can shift into an animal when the wolves can't seem to do that? And where's your original pack?" He throws questions at her, waiting expectantly for the answers.

Ashlyn actually considered answering them, purely to keep Jessie and Tyson safe because that's her job, but then Zak mentioned her pack and she just… "Go to hell."

"Kate?" Zak says, looking at her.

Ashlyn clenches her teeth, feeling that unbearable white, hot pain for a third time when the taser meets the skin of her neck once again, making pain rabbit through each limb, muscle and vein in her body.

"What the hell is that?" Kate asks, looking at Zak. Losing consciousness, Ashlyn manages to hear the commotion. It sounds exactly like a panicking Jessie trying to bust down the door. "Do you hear that?" Kate asks, her head snapping to the front door.

"Derek? Derek!" Jessie yells, seeing the pack approaching quickly from out the bathroom window.

"They're back, go!" Zak yells.

Ashlyn tries to get up and do something with the distraction, but she feels a blunt whack to her head and everything turns back, her body falling limply against the ground once again.

.

"…she awake?

"…she's not waking up."

"...I'll do it."

She barely registers the mingle of blurred voices as she slowly comes too.

"Derek, hold on…"

The Alpha looks down at the girl in her lap, and the others watch on, seeing her eyes move behind her eyelids. Her eyes slowly open, and the world appears hazy for a moment, until she can blink it back into focus. She first thing she sees is deep green eyes.

"Ashlyn?" Derek says.

"Where…"

"Where?"

"Ty… Tyson?" She gets out. "Jessie?"

"Right here." Jessie steps out into her view.

Ashlyn looks at her, finding she's holding Tyson, and the boy's fine, Jessie is too. She brings her hand to the back of her head, where she feels pain. Bringing her fingers back in front of her, she sees her own blood coating her fingertips. "Son of a bitch…" She says.

"Derek, this has gone too far." Scott says, looking at the Alpha. "Zak and Kate broke in here and did this." He says, because they chased them out. They're just lucky their cars got them out of there in time, and that the pack needed to tend to the people inside.

"I know." Derek agrees, getting up, helping Ashlyn to her feet.

Isaac helps steady her when she stumbles a little, but other than that, the effects of the taser and the head trauma seem to be healing and wearing off. "Are you okay?" He asks her.

"Yeah." Ashlyn nods, touching her head again. "I think so."

"Derek… What do we do about this?" Jessie asks.

Derek looks at his sister. He looks back at Ashlyn. A perturbed look comes to his face, because something _does_ need to be done about it now for sure. "I'm going after them." Derek decides.

"Derek…" Scott frowns, because that will only create another problem.

"No, he's right." Isaac backs his Alpha up. "Those two came at us first."

"There's already an Alpha killing people, do you want the hunters coming after us as well?" Jessie says, looking at Isaac.

"Look at her." Isaac says, gesturing to Ashlyn. "They already are."

"Creating a war between us and them isn't a good idea-" Scott tries.

"What do you suggest then? Just to let this slide-" Isaac retorts.

"No, of course not. But I don't recommend ripping them to pieces either-"

Derek looks between his sister and his two betas as they argue and take sides, listening to what each of them has to say. Both sides have good points, and Derek isn't sure if going after them is the right move, but he also can't do nothing about what's happened.

"…stop." Ashlyn sighs, holding her head as it pounds by all the voices.

"They could have hurt Tyson-"

"I said stop!" She barks out, her eyes lighting up green. And that gets their attention.

"Ash…" Tyson frowns.

She rubs her temple, a headache having settled in now. "Leave it." She says.

"What?" Isaac asks, screwing his face up.

"Leave it." She repeats. But she doesn't look at Isaac, she looks at Derek, at the Alpha. "Right now, taking down this Alpha is what's important." She speaks to Derek now. "They only hurt me, and I'm fine now. That Alpha has slaughtered _a lot_ of innocent people." She frowns, thinking of her pack. "Don't start a war with the hunters, not when something's already picking people off in town." She says.

They all glance at Derek, wondering what he'll decide to do now. He has no answer for them. "Isaac, help her get cleaned up." He says before he turns his back on them all, walking away with a thousand different thoughts running through his mind.

"Derek, hold on." Scott follows after him, hungry for a real answer.

Ashlyn sighs, because she isn't very comforted by Derek's lack of a real reply to what she requested. They _can't_ start a war with the hunters, not right now, it's a _very_ bad time. She pushes Isaac away from her and lifts Tyson up into her arms.

"Ashlyn?" Jessie calls after her, but the girl just walks away from them all, going up the stairs to the bedroom.

.

.

 **Alrighty! I hope you liked the longer chapter! Would love some feedback from you readers, so drop a review! What do we think is going to happen next?**

 **Favorite! Follow! Review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**momentum123 – You're very welcome, and thanks!**

 **.**

 _Sunday 29_ _th_ _May_

Derek's awake at the early hours of the morning, standing in front of the large window that overlooks the town. Rain trickles down the glass in an almost soothing manner. He thinks he's alone, until he hears her voice.

"Promise me you're not gonna go after them."

Derek turns around, looking at the girl standing in the dim light the barely rising sun is leaking into the loft.

"Derek… Promise me." Ashlyn says, walking over to him when he doesn't say anything.

Derek just turns back to the window, looking out of it again as she comes to stand just a metre away from him.

"Derek?" She says again, still receiving no response.

"I can't promise you that." He says, not turning to her.

"You have too." She says, stepping up beside him. "Derek, listen to me." She puts her hand on his shoulder, and he turns back around now. "I… I've come to care about this pack, okay?" She reveals. "I don't want anything worse than what happened with me yesterday to happen, but it will if any one of us so much as touches one of them. Derek, you know that."

"So what do you expect me to do then, Ashlyn?" He asks her. "Pretend that didn't happen? Pretend they didn't break into my home and attack one of us-"

"But I'm fine-"

"If we hadn't have come back when we did, you might not have been." He cuts her off. "And who knows what they would have done to Jessie when they were done with you. They will do _anything_ to hurt us, but I'm not going to let them. Not again. And I'm not going to take what happened lying down either."

She sighs gently, she can see the man has so much caring inside of him, which he chooses not to let show. He can act all kinds of cold, but she can see right through him, especially in a moment like this. Just like he sees through her, he's been able to see she cares for the pack for a while now, he just hasn't said anything about it. "I don't want anyone to get hurt." She says.

"Open your eyes, Ashlyn." He says. He reaches up and brushes his thumb over where her head was bleeding yesterday, making her breath catch in her throat at the unexpected touch. "People have already gotten hurt, on my watch." He says, his hand falling back to his side again. "They're not hurting my family again." He says, turning his back and walking away from her, leaving her in a dark to think about his use of the word 'family' on her own.

.

 _Later_

"You're sure this is a good idea?" Jessie asks her brother as he gets his car keys. "Derek?"

"I don't know." He says honestly. "Chris swears he knew nothing about the attack. He wants to discuss another truce, wants to meet on common grounds again." Derek tells her.

"What about Zak and Kate?" Jessie asks.

"Chris says they told him it was just a friendly visit that went wrong, that Ashlyn attacked first-"

"That's bullshit." Jessie frowns.

"I know." Derek nods. "But maybe doing this will lead me to those two, since I can't seem to find them, and Chris isn't giving anything up." He says.

"Get him to trust you so he'll tell you where they are?" Jessie asks.

"I don't like it, but… It's all I have right now." Derek says.

"But, if you call a truce with Chris…you can't break that, Derek." Jessie says.

"I won't break it, I just… I don't know." He says again, because he really doesn't. He's still stuck between doing something about it, because no one gets away with hurting his pack, or leaving it so they don't have the trouble of the Alpha killing people _and_ the hunters on them. He really doesn't know what to do. But one thing he does know, he wants to know what the hell happened yesterday, and why Kate and Zak came after them. "I have to do something. They're all looking at me to do something." He says.

"I know that, but you need to do what's right, not what you want to do in the heat of the moment." Jessie says.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Derek asks his younger sister.

"I know you, Derek. You're never gonna let them hurting Ashlyn slide, not ever." She says, because she does know him, better than any of them do. "You'll hold that grudge forever, because she's with us now, she's pack. But you have to think big picture. I think Ashlyn was right, we should look the other way with this-"

"I'm not going to do that." He shakes his head.

"Just listen." Jessie says. "For now, with a truce in place, we should do that. Not permanently, no way, because they have to pay for hurting her, but for now, I think it's best. And with a proper truce down, Chris will punish them if they even think of doing something like that again. Chris wouldn't let them do that. When he sees he didn't know, I don't think he did. That's not his style. At least we'll have the guarantee that Chris will keep his hunters in line and off our backs." Jessie says. "Just… On your way over there… Think it over. It's about doing what's best, not taking an eye for an eye. Promise me you'll at least think about it." She says. "Derek?"

He sighs and nods. "I'll think about it."

"Promise?"

"Yes, Jessie, I promise."

"Okay." She nods. "Who are you taking with you to meet Chris?"

"No one, just me-"

"No, now _that_ is a bad idea." Jessie says. "Take someone with you."

"You just said Chris wouldn't do something like that." Derek reminds her.

"With a truce in place, he wouldn't. There's no truce yet." She says. "Please… Take someone with you."

"Fine." He gives in, because she's giving him those puppy dog eyes. "I'll call Scott. I want Isaac here, keeping an eye out, just in case." He doesn't have to specify, Jessie knows he's talking about Kate and Zak.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." She nods.

Derek nods and moves to call Scott.

"Hey." Jessie says to his back.

Derek stops and turns around to face her.

"You're doing well." She says, and it makes his face screw up in confusion. "With this whole Alpha thing, with all these decisions. You're doing really well. Not many of us could make the decisions that you do, or in the time that you do either. I just… I thought you should know that." Jessie praises him, because there's just so much on his shoulders, so many lives, and she can't allow him to be crushed under the weight of it all.

"Thanks." He gives her a nod.

She gives him a small smile, and they part ways, going to do what they have too.

.

"You tapped his phone?" Zak asks, looking on Kate's laptop, seeing the codes and the mobile number she's drawing from.

"I needed to know what was going on while me and you are…taking a break." She says, because she doesn't want to say 'hiding' because she isn't a coward, but really, that's what they're doing. Chris calls them, but she tells him it's fine and that they shouldn't trust the wolves, and that when 'everything's done' they'll be back.

"So tell me, what is going on, sweetheart?" Zak asks her, sitting down on the edge of the desk, folding his arms over his chest.

"Well… Seems my dear brother and our favorite Alpha are meeting up soon." Kate tells him, flicking her blonde her over her shoulder and out of her way. "Something about a truce."

"But he said no last time?" Zak questions.

"He said no to helping us." Kate corrects him. "Maybe he says yes this time."

"What does that mean for us?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't think it'll be good." Kate tells him. "We need to do something."

"And by something, you mean…?"

" _Something_." Kate looks away from her laptop, looking at him now with a wicked smirk.

"Right." He nods, smiling fondly back at her. "I'm in."

.

 _Late That Night_

Derek found he couldn't make the decision on the spot with Chris because he was too conflicted. So, Chris is giving him some time to talk it over with his wolves, and he'll go to his hunters. So, Derek called a pack meeting. And with that pack meeting having run for so long since everyone was very opinionated on what should and shouldn't be done, Derek lets the others stay at the loft for the night, and tells them he'll take them all to school in the morning, Stiles will take his Jeep too. It's actually kind of nice, they cooled off after the more heated _conversation_ about what the do next, not that they came to a unanimous decision anyway, not yet, and the teenagers decided to sleep in the living room and watch some movies. Derek was almost reluctant to leave to go to bed, because it was kind of nice for him to see them all together and relaxed like that, they don't get a break very often. They barely have one now, it's more just a few seconds to breath before the stress of this beef with the hunters gets worse.

Or in this case, the immediate _heat_.

The smell of burning, and the choking smoke, it's filling every room in the building. No alarm sounds at all, broken pieces of it cover the floor instead.

Derek wakes the worst, he feels like he's choking, like his nightmares of the fire are too vivid. But this time, he's actually choking. He throws himself out of bed confused, because nothing's wrong, it was just a dream. Then he notices how the air seems heavier. Then he notices the smell. He'd know that smell anywhere, it's embedded into his mind, scorched from his childhood.

Something's on fire.

The teenagers, wolves and humans, wake up, coughing. But they're too disorientated with sleepiness that to realize what's really happening. "What's goin' on?" Isaac asks sleepily.

"Something's burning." Scott comments, smelling flames. "What the hell?" He waves at the air, the black smoke is slithering under the loft door and into the room.

"Oh, my god…" Jessie realizes.

Derek comes racing out of his room, almost diving down the stairs to get to them. "Get out! Go, quick!" He orders. You can hear dozens of panicked footsteps as people have now realized there's a fire are getting the hell out of their lofts.

"Derek, what-"

"The building's on fire, get out as fast as you can!" Derek orders them, flashing red eyes.

"Okay, c'mon, get up." Stiles help Jessie up.

Danny finds herself being helped up by both Scott and Isaac.

"Wait!" Jessie halts when she notices Derek doesn't move. Instead, he's looking over at the stairs, towards Ashlyn's room. "Derek-"

"I gotta get Ashlyn and Tyson, just go." Derek says to her.

"What?! No!" She objects. There's no way in _hell_ she's leaving him in a _fire_ of all things.

"Get her out, _now_." Derek orders Isaac, flashing red eyes again. "Scott, get the others out." He says. "Go now!" He barks. "I'll be right behind you, just go!" He says, running back up the stairs as Isaac drags Jessie out of the loft, the others rushing to get out too, because the room's already far more thick with black smoke than it was a minute ago.

He doesn't even knock on Ashlyn's door, he just rushes in. "Ashlyn…" And that's why she didn't realize, because she's not even in here, only Tyson is. "Ashlyn!" He calls out to her, going over to the bed and lifting Tyson into his arms.

"Mmm… Ash…" Tyson mumbles sleepily, waking up when he's moved.

"Ashlyn!" Derek yells out again.

It only takes second for her to come flying into the room, almost tripping over. And now she notices the smoke, it hadn't reached the bathroom yet. "What's going on?" She asks him.

"Building's on fire, we have to get out right now." Derek says, going over to her and grabbing her hand, pulling her out of the room and leading her downstairs to leave.

"Wait, where are the others?" She asks, looking around.

"Already out, c'mon." Derek asks, moving even faster.

"Okay, okay, give me Tyson." She says, keeping up with him.

"It's fine, I've got him." Derek tells her, holding onto the boy securely.

"Ash? Ash…" Tyson's awake now, and he's starting to freak out, unsure what's happening.

"C'mon." Derek says, he keeps his hold on her, scared if he lets go, she won't be right beside him anymore, that they might get separated. And the last thing he wants is for her or Tyson to get hurt.

They're moving, fast. Derek's holds Tyson close to his chest as they brave through the thick, hot smoke. Ashlyn holds Derek's hand just as tight, scared to separate from him as well.

Derek hears the unmistakable crack of wood, and he tries to get them both clear of whatever's to fall, but they aren't fast enough this time. He lets her go, yanking his hand back in pain when the flaming beam lands on his exposed arm, burning his skin immediately.

"Derek?!" Ashlyn panics.

Derek looks for an opening, a way for him to get to her but the flames between them are already too high. And if to make matters worse, the other beams crack, ready to give way. The ones Derek's standing under. He looks up, then he looks at her, and he has no idea what to do. He's got Tyson with him, he can't let him get hurt either.

Ashlyn steps back, as the flames grovel closer to her. She looks from the flames to Derek, meeting his eyes. Tears slip down both cheeks, because she's _terrfied_. "Go." She says. "Get out of here. Take care of my boy for me." She says to him, backing up again because the flames and the smoke are closing in on her.

"Ashlyn…" Derek shakes his head, because she's telling him to take Tyson and leave her behind. Leave her in a _fire_. Leave her to _burn_. "Ashlyn, I… I can't do that-"

 _Crack_.

Derek jumps back, another beam falling, putting more space and more flames between them.

Ashlyn looks at it, horrified, because maybe next time he isn't fast enough to move out of the way. She looks back up at him. "Yes, you can." She nods. "Please, just go. Take Tyson and get out." She pleads with him, backing into the wall, starting to cough as the black smoke shoves itself down her throat, all it wants to do is choke her.

"Ashlyn-"

"Derek, there's no time! Just go!" She yells at him, glancing up nervously to see the third beam is starting to vein with cracks.

He looks up, seeing it too. If that one drops, he's blocked off from an exit.

"Derek… Get out. Right now. _Please_." She begs him in a watery, vulnerable voice. "You're the only one I trust enough to protect him." She says, looking at Tyson. "Please, just… Just take him and go." She says.

Derek can't deny the itch behind his eyes, but he would never let her see it, so he just frowns like he's angry. "Hold on, I'm coming back for you." He promises her. "Just hold on, I'm getting him out and then I'm coming back for you." He tells her, already backing up.

She just gives a weak, fake smile, because the whole building's coming down, she doesn't have much faith.

He's racing down stairs, avoiding ones that have already fallen through, avoiding the flames, hiding Tyson's face so he doesn't breath in too much smoke, and dodging flaming broken pieces of the structures and furniture.

"He said he'd be right behind us, where the hell is he?" Jessie hiccups, searching the crowd for her brother, her eyes keep swinging to the doors, hoping he'll come through. "Where's Ashlyn and Tyson? Where's Derek? C'mon… Where are you?" She's rambling to herself now, panicking, shaking.

"C'mere." Stiles puts his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "It's gonna be okay, just…" He trails off, seeing _him_. "Jess…"

Jessie lifts her head. She sees him too. "Derek?!" She races over to him, about to bear-hug him, but he just puts Tyson into her arms. She looks at him in confusion. "Where's Ashlyn?"

"I have to go back for her, watch him." Derek tells her, then turns on his heels and takes back off inside.

"Derek, no!" Jessie yells after him, because the top of the building has already collapsed in on one side. It won't stand for too much longer.

"Jesus Christ, he's going back in?" Scott frowns, seeing Derek disappear into the smoke.

"Should we follow him?" Isaac asks, worried.

"No." Danny shakes her head, grabbing Isaac's arm tightly, and Scott's too. "No, neither of you are going in there, it's too dangerous. No. Please, don't."

Ashlyn backs herself into the corner and slides to sit down on the floor. She can feel how bad the fire is by how hot the ground is, and by how weak it's becoming. She knows it won't be long before it all crashes down, her going with it. At least she knows Tyson's in capable hands, and he'll be with people who have come to care about him and look out for him. She can feel herself blacking out, the smoke is too much, it's in her clothes, her hair, her nose, her eyes, and her mouth. She just never thought this would be the way she went out.

She lets her eyes droop shut, trying to accept her fate. But they snap open when she hears a loud cracking. She looks up, and true to his word, the Alpha's come back. "Derek?" She stands up.

"Back up as much as you can." He says.

She nods, pushing herself up against the wall.

Derek's eyes bleed red and he focuses on the flames. Images of his burning house flash before him, but he shakes them away. He swears he hears his Dad yelling, his sister screaming, his Uncle telling him to run, but he shakes that away too. Before, he couldn't get anywhere near Ashlyn without hurting Tyson. But it's just him now. He can get hurt, especially if it means saving Ashlyn's life. He charges forward, putting is head down and his right shoulder forward, breaking his way through the beams.

Ashlyn moves to the left as Derek smacks right into the wall beside her, catching himself on it. She looks at him in awe. She knows she couldn't have pushed her way through those beams, and even though he's an Alpha, she didn't think he'd have the strength to do it either. But his want for her to survive outweighed that.

He looks at her, out-of-breath and just as sweaty as she is. His cheek's burnt, as is his shoulder, his shirt a little ripped and charred.

She reaches up and touches his cheek as it heals under her fingertips. "You came back." She says.

He nods. "I said I would." He says, looking between her eyes. He cringes a little at the stinging pain of the burns that slowly heal. "Let's get the hell out of here."

"Yeah." She nods.

Like earlier, he takes her hand and leads her out through the path he, somehow, made. He retraces his footsteps, leading them back the way he came, because he knows it's safest.

She sways a little, becoming dizzier. She stumbles, but he steadies her.

"Hey, I know, you've been in the smoke too long. But we're almost out, c'mon. Hold on." He tells her, smacking her cheek gently as her head lolls to one side and she finds herself leaning on him to hold herself up. "C'mon, Ashlyn, we're almost out."

She looks at him through half-closed eyes, his face a blur, but she sees that piercing green of his eyes. "I… I'm glad… I'm glad you f-found us that d-day in the woods…" She mumbles drunkenly. "This pack is… Is… Is the best thing th-that could have h-happened to… To… To us after the… The attack on my-my pack…" Her eyes slip closed again.

"Hey. Wake up." He smacks her cheek a little harder, her eyes opening again, just a little. "C'mon, Tyson is waiting for you." He says stubbornly, because she's slipping. When she can't stand on her own, he brings his arm around her waist and starts to walk again, with her more stumbling at his side, leaning on him for support.

The doors are in sight, she sees the red and blue lights of the police that have finally arrived, there are fire engines too. There are ambulances, because not every one made it out unharmed, but at least everyone made it out alive. She sees it, like it's in slow motion, but her face feels numb and her lips are too heavy to warn Derek. She only hears his grunt of pain and the splash of red along the ground before she slips from his arms, in his attempt to slow the bleeding, and hits the floor, finally blacking out.

.

.

She's only out for about 45 minutes, enough time for the pack to have seen them go down in the building, get in there and get them out before slipping into the darkness where no one would see them or their injuries.

"Mmph…" Ashlyn grunts, her eyes slowly opening. She starts coughing, but from what she remembers feeling in her throat before, she feels like her airway's clear as day. She can breath again, freely. No smoke. When she regains her vision, she finds Scott's with her, so is Stiles. She swallows, wetting her dry throat. "Where are they?" She asks them.

"Where's who?" Scott asks her.

"The boys… Tyson and Derek. Where are they?" She asks, pulling herself to sit up. Her body still feels half passed out, but at least she isn't hurt.

"Tyson's laying down in the other room, he's finally fell back asleep a few minutes ago." Stiles tells her.

She looks around the room, and frowns. "Where are we?"

"My work." Scott says. "Deaton, my boss, he's supernaturally inclined, so… And, uh, Derek's hurt. He's fixing him up now."

Ashlyn frowns, remember seeing the red, but she didn't know what it was, she was too far gone. "Where is he? I gotta go see him." She says, throwing her legs over the side of the bed. She puts her feet to the floor, she's got a bit of a headache, little side effect of the night's events.

"Ashlyn, you should really rest some more-"

"Take me to see Derek." Ashlyn says.

The best friends share a look.

"He saved my life, I need to know he's okay." She says.

Jessie just sits beside her brother, Isaac next to her. She refuses to look at where Deaton still trying to remove the shard of glass in the best way, the way that will heal the fastest, because this injury won't be a 10 second one, or even an overnight. The guy almost cut his leg off, from the knee down. Jessie holds his hand tightly, scared to let go. She just looks at his face, waiting for his eyes to open.

"Oh…"

Jessie and Isaac look up, seeing Ashlyn and the other two boys have come into the room. The former looks a little shell-shocked.

"What… What happened?" She asks, looking at Jessie.

"You were with him, you don't remember?" Deaton looks at her. But Ashlyn doesn't really remember too much, only that she was dizzy as all hell and Derek came back for her.

"Oh, uh, not sure if you've met but, Ashlyn this is Deaton, Deaton this is Ashlyn." Scott says.

But Ashlyn's more worried about the man lying lifeless and unconscious is his own blood on the table.

Deaton notices this. "By the looks of the way he's cut, the glass came from under him. Maybe he stepped on something, forced it up, or maybe it was hidden, he didn't see it." Deaton says.

Ashlyn sighs and sits down in one of the chairs. She rubs her hands down her face. "While he was getting me out…"

"It's not your fault." Jessie says, looking at the girl.

Ashlyn just looks away from her, looking at Scott. "Can you show me where Tyson is? I'll let him sleep, I just need to see he's safe."

"Yeah." Scott nods. "Of course."

.

 _Monday 30_ _th_ _May - Lunchtime_

Ashlyn walks around the Vets, holding Tyson as he's now awake. Everyone else has made makeshift beds in another room, settling in to sleep finally. Jessie had to phone in to tell the authorities that her family in the Hale loft was safe, they offered a medical check-up, but she declined. Deaton has that covered. It's been a _long_ night. Jessie finds herself sleeping as close to Stiles as she can, it took awhile for her to fall asleep. Stiles knew why, he knew all she could think about was the fire from her childhood that took her family while she was at school. So, he brushed his fingers through her hair until she fell asleep, and then he went to sleep too.

Deaton's returned home as he's finished with Derek, so Ashlyn and Tyson are the only ones up. She sees the empty chairs beside Derek's bed, and she can't help but sit down in one, keeping Tyson in her lap. She looks at the man, her insides are all twisted up when she thinks about all the blood she saw earlier, and when she thinks about how much pain he would have been in, and she thinks of how far he went to get her out of that building when he easily could have just left her. It would have been safer to leave her, _smarter_ to leave her… But he didn't.

She looks at the man, her mouth opening, but she just sighs. She brushes Tyson's hair with her hand for a little, just wasting time, thinking over everything that's happened to her and everything that happened last night. She looks back at Derek, finding she has some words in her mouth that she needs to say. "Derek?" She calls, just in case he is awake, but maybe just resting his eyes. "If you're awake and you can hear me, show me." She says.

"De'ick, wake up." Tyson says, shaking the man's arm.

And Derek actually stirs.

"He's wakin' up." Tyson says, looking up at Ashlyn with a smile.

"I can see that." She says, feeling a _little_ guilty for disturbing his rest, but she can't deny she feels relieved when she sees the green of his eyes again as they open. "Hey." She says.

Derek looks to his side, his movements slow and hazy, from the blood loss. He looks at the girl and the toddler, and maybe a part of him feels relieved when he sees their faces too. "Hi." He says, even his voice sounds drowsy.

"Um… Maybe we should let you sleep?"

Derek shakes his head, and with a pained look, moves up on the bed so he can sit up a little. "No, I'm okay. I've slept enough, I can feel it, my body's…"

"Torn up?" She fills in for him, and even finds her lips twitch upwards a little.

He gives her a dead-pan look, but his eyes are nothing but soft, because they both know she was just teasing. His eyes drop to Tyson. "Glad you're okay, little man." He says to the boy.

"Because of you." Tyson says, surprising them both with his sense of understanding. "Big fire and… But you had me." Tyson looks Derek dead in his eye and Derek finds he can't even reply, he just gives a nod. He sees Tyson's fear of the fire, but his gratitude for what Derek did, all of that in a toddler's eyes. It's kind of amazing.

"Thank you for that." Ashlyn says, making Derek look back up at her. "Thank you for keeping him safe."

"I didn't do too well with you though, did I?" Derek's eyes downcast a little, like he's disappointed in his efforts.

"Are you kidding me?" She asks him, even letting out a soft laugh. He looks at her in confusion. "You saved my life, Derek." She says, much more seriously now. "You saved both of us. You…" She leans forward and puts her hand on his. "You have no idea how grateful I am." She says, meeting his eyes.

He looks down at their hands, then back up at her face. "I do, a little. I seem to remember something along the lines of 'This pack is the best thing that happened to us after the attack on my pack' and something else like 'I'm glad you found us'." He recalls, and this time his lips turn upwards too, because her cheeks go a little red.

"I, uh… I said that?" She asks, not remembering what fell from her mouth is her fading stages.

"Yeah, you did." He nods.

"Oh…"

His trace of a smile falls now. "You didn't mean it…?" He guesses.

"No, I mean… Yes. I… I meant it. It's true, just…" She stutters a little.

"Just…?

"…wasn't really supposed to say it your face." She says with a look that almost resembles a much younger, awkward teenaged girl on her first date.

"Well, that didn't work out too well for you, did it?"

She laughs more genuinely this time, not looking so embarrassed, and it makes him relax a little more as well. "No, not really." She confirms.

"De'ick?" Tyson says.

"Yeah?" Derek looks at him again.

"Why you making heart eyes at Ash?" He asks the man, completely oblivious to how far in the deep end he throws both adults, and how on the spot he puts Derek especially. "Mommies and Daddies look at each oth'a with heart eyes, tha' what my Mommy said."

Ashlyn's cheeks grow _very_ hot, and she looks over at the wall, because she can't look at Derek right now.

The Alpha glances at her subtly and she's blushing deeply, but he says nothing. He just reaches up and gently taps Tyson's nose, making him giggle. That sound makes Ashlyn look back at the man, and he meets her gaze with unwavering eye contact, which she returns. "You know what, Tyson? I think she's giving me heart eyes." He tests his own boundaries, the ones between them, by teasing her.

"Ew!" Tyson giggles again, looking back up at Ashlyn.

The girl blushes again, but this time she isn't so awkward about it. She gives a small smile and kisses Tyson's forehead. "You should stop teasing, I'm gonna stop thinking of you as this big bad Alpha wolf and instead just see you as a guy." She says to him lightly.

"Wow. That made you sound like a girl, not a jaguar." He says back in the same manner. "Besides, you never thought I was a big bad Alpha wolf anyway, did you?" He says, but he doesn't seem to mind.

She smiles a little more, and decides she won't answer, but they both know what he said is somewhat true. Instead she just looks at him in amusement. "I'm, um… I'm glad you're okay." She says. "Probably should have said that earlier…"

"It's okay. I'm okay." He says.

"Leg looks a little better." She comments, glancing at it. The blood's washed away, the glass is gone, and Deaton has even stitched it up to help it heal right.

"Feels better." He nods. "My calf's going to be a little tender for a bit Deaton thinks." He says, looking at where the glass sliced open his calf.

"Think you'll be able to walk?" She asks, because it looks a little more than just tender.

"He says no, that I shouldn't for a couple days."

"Let me guess, you say yes?"

"Something like that."

"Heh." She smiles a little again.

"Not really going to be able to lead though, to go out there with the pack." He frowns. "That's something I need to talk to you about."

"What about me?" She asks him.

Jessie comes in, yawning. She smiles when she sees Derek's awake, going over to him. She hugs him, the picture of happily relieved.

"What are you doing up? You should be sleeping." He says, but pats her back a couple times to soothe the worry she's been feeling since yesterday's catastrophe.

She pulls back and sits down on the other side of him. "I was worried, couldn't really sleep." She says. "Good to see you two doing better as well." She says, looking at Tyson and Ashlyn.

"Thanks." Ashlyn says. "We're lucky." She says, glancing at Derek, then looking at Tyson, brushing his hair back with her hands again.

"Yeah, everyone was." Jessie nods.

"How many hurt?" Derek asks her.

"5 or 6." Jessie says with a frown. "No one died though. But, uh.. Building's gone, Derek. It burnt to the ground. There was no alarm, authorities didn't get there in time."

"It's not the building I care about." He says, the unspoken 'It's the people living inside I care about' very clear.

"About the alarm… Um…" Jessie wets her lips, unsure how her brother's going to take this. "I asked what caused the fire, they said… That said it was most probably arson. Hence why the alarm was disabled." Jessie tells him.

Every person in the room notices how Derek's body goes rigid, and he doesn't seem to be in the best mood anymore.

"I know." Jessie says quietly, looking into her lap.

 _Arson_.

Like the Hale fire.

Ashlyn looks between the two siblings, and she can put enough together from what she's been told that they're silently referring to their devastating childhood fire. They fall into silence, and they just sit there, all amusement and teasing sucked from the air. They all have an idea of who it was in their heads, but whatever their next step is, it needs to be well-thought out, because they may already be in a war, even if they were trying to avoid it.

.

.

 **Things are getting crazy! But also fluffy too, with the Dashlyn feels :3 Zak and Kate are** _ **so**_ **evil, but it's kind of nice writing evil again!**

 **Favorite! Follow! Review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**momentum123 – Thanks, and you're very welcome!**

 **morgyse – Thank you, I hope you continue reading and enjoying!**

 **Here's some awkward and maybe slightly adorable Dashlyn feels to make you cringe and smile at the same time!**

 **.**

 _Tuesday 31_ _st_ _May – The Next Morning_

Ashlyn sighs when she looks up from the dining table, and sees the Alpha attempting to hobble his way through the rental house that they're staying in temporarily, lets just say the Sheriff helped out a lot with that. "Derek…"

"I know." He says, because _that hurts_. He gets to the table and sits down. He looks at his leg, almost resenting it for how slowly it's healing, but he knows he can't change that and he really should be thankful he still has a leg at all, it was a pretty bad injury.

"Jessie's gonna bite your head off if she catches you walking around, you know that, right?" Ashlyn says knowingly, warming her hands with her coffee mug.

"Yeah, she's already given me a lecture." Derek nods. "But she's at school, so…"

"So you get to break the rules?" Ashlyn says then chuckles a little, sipping from her coffee.

"Something like that." He says, amusement in his eyes too. "Listen… I didn't get to talk to you about that thing last night."

"Oh, right. What thing?" She asks, giving him all her attention now, putting her coffee mug back down on the table.

"Well, until I'm 100% again, I'm not really fit to lead." He says. "If I can't go out there or fight then I'm not really a leader, am I? So… I wanted to ask if maybe… _you_ would take over for me, just for a couple days? Just until I'm up and moving again?" He asks her.

Ashlyn looks at him, more than surprised. I mean, in the beginning he didn't even trust her _one bit_ , now look at them. He's asking her to take over for him, even if only for a couple days. The level of trust and communication has altered _so_ much since then. "Wow, I mean… I didn't expect that." She says honestly.

"You're the next oldest after me, so you have more experience than the rest of the pack. I know your sister was the Alpha, and you were close, so you know what the role requires. And you're with us now, we trust you, and I know you'll protect them. I thought you'd be best for this." He explains.

Ashlyn looks down into her lap. She swallows. "My sister and her husband." She says. She looks back up at Derek, and he looks a little confused by what she means. "They were both Alphas." She tells him, and she doesn't know why she tells him that, she just does.

"My mistake." Derek says, but he has a feeling she wasn't correcting him, she just needed to say it out-loud for her own sake.

"This offer… Can I think about it for a bit?" She asks him, because she does sort of know what being an Alpha's like, and it is a big responsibility.

"Of course." He nods. "Just… Not too long, you know?"

"I know." She nods. "But, what about you?" She asks him.

"What about me?"

"Well, Jessie and Isaac are gonna be at school for the next 3 days. Who's going to look after you if you're taking some time out?" She asks him.

"I'll be fine, I don't need a babysitter." Derek says.

Ashlyn nods, but she's unconvinced after watching him almost collapse just trying to walk a few minutes ago.

"You kind of sound like you're worried about me or something?" He says, raising his eyebrows.

She huffs out a laugh. She brings her cup back to her lips, finishing it. "Don't let it go to your head, Heart-eyes." She says, getting up and taking her cup to the sink.

Derek finds a smile tugging at his lips, because her playful attitude and her snark is just…it makes him want to smile or laugh, sometimes both, and he thought he forgot how to do those things after the fire.

.

 _That Afternoon_

"Hey." Scott gives a greeting nod and smile to Ashlyn as he and Stiles walk into the house after school with Isaac.

"Uh, actually… Can we talk?" Ashlyn says to him.

Scott slows and stops. He looks at Isaac and Stiles, then at Ashlyn. "Talk to me?" He asks, pointing at himself.

"Yeah, if you have the time." She nods.

"Yeah… Yeah, I've got time." Scott nods, surprised and wondering what this is about. "I'll be there soon." Scott says to the other two males.

Stiles nods and keeps walking, but Isaac doesn't. "Everything okay, Ashlyn?" He asks her, because he's like a puppy, he loves everyone, and Ashlyn has become one of those 'everyones'.

"Yeah, Isaac. Everything's fine." Ashlyn nods.

Isaac nods slowly and turns around, walking after Stiles to the bedroom that's been allocated as his. Isaac definitely preferred the room he had at the loft over this one, but he doesn't have much of a choice, and there's no room to complain either. They're lucky to have somewhere to stay at all.

"So… What's going on?" Scott asks her, sitting down at the dining table when she does.

"Derek asked me something this morning, and…I think it'd be better suited to you." She says.

"What'd he ask you?" Scott asks.

"Well, since he's hurt, he can't really lead, because he can't go running into fights or anything. So, he asked me to take over for him for a couple days, but… Well… Honestly? I…"

"What is it?" Scott asks her.

"I just…I think you'd be a better replacement." She decides to just say instead of explaining the rest of it.

"And…"

"And what?"

"There's another reason, I can tell." Scott says, studying her face. "What's the other reason?"

"Nothing." Ashlyn shakes her head, but they both know that's a lie. Okay, so maybe, _maybe_ , she wants to be around to watch out for Derek. Maybe.

"Okay then." Scott lets it go though, knowing she's not a 'nag until they reveal it' kind of person. She seems more of a 'nag and she'll kill you' type of person. Scott thinks that's kind of badass, it reminds him of how Derek can be.

"But, um… Just kind of keep it to yourself, because Derek did come to me and I appreciate that, but you're better for this."

"Okay." He nods.

"Okay… That's all." She says. "Thanks."

"For what?" Scott asks.

"For helping." She says.

"Well… You're welcome." Scott says, giving her small smile. He puts his hand on her arm, patting it.

She's a little surprised by his touch, but she's getting more and more comfortable with the pack every day, so she doesn't mind too much.

.

 _That Evening_

Ashlyn's just put Tyson to bed and tucked him in, he was tired earlier than usual. She comes downstairs for a glass of water when she sees the Alpha trying to limp his way around the house _again_. "Jeez, Derek, let me help." Ashlyn jogs over to him. "Here." She helps him stand up straight.

"Ashlyn, I can walk on my own-"

"Stumbling isn't walking, Derek." She shoots back with. "C'mon, arm around me." She says.

He sighs, and half-reluctantly put his arm around her shoulders, leaning on her for support.

"Where too?" She asks him.

"Living room." He replies.

She nods and they walk towards the living room together. He stumbles a little, so they stop. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just…a little pain." He admits, taking some more weight off his leg.

"Maybe that's 'cause Deaton said you should stay off your feet for awhile, and you aren't listening to him." Ashlyn comments, glancing at him.

He looks at her, but doesn't deny it. He actually finds himself studying her face. He notices she has a few random freckles on the tops of her cheeks. He also notices her eyes aren't _just_ blue. They're…so much more. Like turquoise, aqua, there's so much more to them than _just_ blue.

Ashlyn looks forward again, unable to stare back at him when they're so close. She squirms just a little, a hot flush beginning to crawl up her neck. "You wanna sit down or-or something?" She asks.

Her slight stutter gives her away. He narrows his eyes, just a little. "Hey." He says, still looking at her. "Ashlyn. Look at me." He says.

From the corner of her eye she looks at him.. "What?"

"Why do you seem…nervous?" He asks her.

She swallows, and looks forward again. "I'm not, you're just…heavy." She says, but internally cringes because she's a were-jaguar, his weight isn't exactly an issue for her.

"I haven't said it yet, but… Thanks." Derek says.

She does look at him properly now. "For what?"

"I know what you did." He says, but she's confused. "You asked Scott to take over instead of you, because… Well… I think we both know why you did that." He says, maybe a little bolder than he used to being with a woman. He was right, she was worried about him and she cares. He thinks that maybe, _maybe_ , she wants to be around to help him out. But the less confident part of him scoffs and tells him his ego's too big, tells him that a girl like her would never look at him in that way.

She looks straight ahead again. He was _not_ supposed to know that. She could kill Scott for that. Especially when she asked him to _kind of keep it to himself_. "And why would that be?" She asks him.

Derek looks at her, a little surprised with how someone so smart could act so clueless. But the red in her cheeks tells him otherwise. He brings his hand up to the nape of her neck, and he knows he's probably pushing it when he brushes his thumb over her hairline. "You know why." He says.

She looks at him, opening her mouth as if she's going to say his suggestions are crazy, but nothing comes out. She just keeps looking at him, speechless, and with him brushing his thumb over her skin too she finds her mind is blank, because they aren't just teasing each other anymore. She may dare to even say that he's…he's… _flirting_ with her.

Derek takes her silence as some form of understanding and agreement, and finds himself gently guiding her forward by the hand rested on the nape of her neck, bringing their faces closer together, their foreheads, their noses, their lips-

Ashlyn's hand shoots out, touching his chest. "What are you… What are you doing?" She asks him, and this time she really is clueless, because she's never really experienced this human moment before.

But Derek's smooth confidence began melting away the second she reacted by keeping him back. He swallows, and his hand slides down until it just rests on her back. "Uh… Nothing." He says, looking away from her. He looks over at the sofa. "I gotta sit." He says, and he pulls away from her, sitting down without help, but the pain the actions draw is the last thing on his mind.

She looks at him, but now he won't meet her eyes, acting as if he's now busy assessing his wound. "You, uh… You need anything?" She asks him, feeling this odd string of tension now wrapped around them both and she doesn't really know why.

Derek shakes his head, glancing up at her. "No, I'm okay." He says, looking away from her again.

"Okay…" She nods. They fall into this kind of awkward silence, so she just leaves the room, leaving him on his own.

.

 _Late That Night_

The feeling of a nearby presence has the Alpha waking from his sleep. He looks to his left, finding the source right away. He looks at her in confusion, last time they were in the same room, things got…weird. "Ashlyn?" He says.

The girl's startled awake, sitting in the chair by the wall. "Oh… Hey." She says, rubbing her tired eyes. "You okay?"

"What are you doing in here?" He asks her.

"Jessie went to bed, so I said I'd stay with you in case you needed help or something during the night." She explains why it's her there instead of his sister.

Derek looks at the digital clock on the bedside table. 11:47pm. He's sure he conked out around 9 or 9:30. The healing, the hobbling, it's kind of exhausting. "How long have you been in that chair?" He asks her, rubbing his own eyes.

"Not long. Couple hours maybe." She says, shifting her body a little because it's quite uncomfortable to sleep in a dining chair.

"You're just going to stay in that all night? Until someone else is tasked to watch me?" He asks.

"Alpha or not, someone needs to watch you. Something could happen." Ashlyn says.

"So, yes? You are just gonna sit in that chair all night?" He guesses.

"Don't exactly have a choice." She says. "Not like there's enough room in here for both of us."

"How so?"

"You're in the only bed, Derek." She points out. "Besides, chair's fine." She almost entirely lies.

Derek looks at her for a few seconds before he speaks again. "You could fit in here too."

Seconds of silence tick by like minutes.

"What?" She asks.

"I said, there's enough room for us both in here. You can sleep in the bed too." He says.

"Um…" Her voice comes out in a shaky stutter.

"Come on." He dares himself to say, even if his head's screaming at him to just shut up before he embarrasses himself, and reminding him of how she wasn't very keen earlier today when he tried to…he isn't even entirely sure what it was he was going to do.

She watches the Alpha move over some, and look at her expectantly. She may even dare to believe he seems a little fidgety, _nervous_ she would say if she were feeling risky enough. "Are you sure? I mean…I don't wanna accidently hurt your leg or something."

"My leg will be fine." He says.

"All right then." She nods. She gets out of the chair and moves over to the bed. He moves the covers back for her and she slips under them, they're warm and they smell like him, it's oddly comforting. "Is this okay?" She says, looking to her right at him, lying on her back, a good gap between them.

Feeling risky himself, Derek surprises himself with his answer. "Maybe come a little closer." He says.

Her eyes widen just a little, with surprise. "Okay." She says, and she slowly makes the gap between them smaller. "Is this good?"

"Just… Maybe just a little closer." He says, looking back at her. He really was just offering her something more comfortable, but now that she is closer to him, he just wants her even closer. And he isn't sure if she's always smelt this good and he's only noticing it now, or if this sweet scent of hers is a new thing. But he finds it surrounds him, and he's okay with that.

"You mean, like…" She moves even closer to him, his shoulder only a hand's width from her face. "Like this?" She asks him.

"Yeah." He nods, and turns on his side to face her, careful of his leg. " I was kind of hoping you'd be okay with something else as well." He says.

"With what?" She asks him, their noses only centimeters apart now.

He doesn't know why he doesn't kiss her right then and there, because he knows deep down that's what he was probably going to do earlier today. He doesn't know why he doesn't do it now, maybe he's still thinking about her hesitance from earlier, maybe he's worried it'll blow up in his face. But he doesn't kiss her. "Letting me keep you warm." He says, and he can almost kick himself for how soppy and kind of stupid it sounds.

"I think I'd be okay with that." She says. She sees the surprise in his eyes at her answer. "It's a cold night, and I don't have the body heat thing that you do." She explains, acting as if it's the only reason she says yes, but it certainly isn't. More quiet seconds tick by, and she gets a little antsy. "Are you gonna hold me, or just look at me all night?" She asks him.

His face softens, and he sees so much of the aggressive jaguar-turned-human, that he first met in the beginning, in her right now. He moves closer to her. "Lean up for a second." He says, and she does, and he slips his arm underneath her. She lays back down, and his embrace is warm and…and _safe_. His hand comes up, brushing a long, messy strand of dark hair out of her face. She finds his touch is more welcome than the others', she finds his is easily accepted, and she doesn't really know why she's so comfortable with _him_ touching her. "You should get some more sleep." He says to her.

Ashlyn nods, finding his embrace mixed with his deep green gaze is almost paralyzing. "You as well." She says.

"Yeah." He nods. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." She returns.

But it's awhile before either adult can give into their tiredness, because all this that's happening right now is both experimental and surprising, it might even be a little nerve-wracking, not that either of them would admit that to anyone or even to themselves. What's developing between them is new, it's something neither has had in quite some time.

.

 _Wednesday 1_ _st_ _June – The Next Morning_

Derek wakes, and he can feel the sun on him. He must have slept in. He opens his eyes and his hands search for the other occupant of the bed. But he finds nothing. He sits up, looking to his side and finds she's gone, and her place has long gone cold. The Alpha frowns and carefully gets out of bed.

"Hey, good morning." Jessie says, coming into the kitchen to find Ashlyn in there, feeding Tyson.

"Morning." Ashlyn says.

Jessie pauses, looking over at the girl again. "Everything okay?" She asks her, the other female seeming a little down.

"Yeah." Ashlyn nods, giving her a small smile before she goes back to giving Tyson attention.

"Up and walking around? Really? You shouldn't be walking around." Jessie lectures, unimpressed when she sees her brother come into the kitchen. But he does seem a little better at least.

Ashlyn's breath catches in her throat, and she doesn't look up, she solely focuses on Tyson.

Derek looks at her, and he knows she's avoiding him, but that's a little hard when you live together. "I'm fine, Jessie." He tells his little sister, heading towards the fridge. "Do me a favor? Go get Isaac up for school, I don't really wanna climb the stairs again." Derek says to her.

"Yeah, sure." Jessie nods.

Ashlyn watches the girl leave the room and feels her heart start to beat faster, because now they're alone. She can feel Derek looking at her now, and she doesn't know what to do. "C'mon, you need a bath." She says, lifting Tyson out of the chair. She sets him on the ground, taking his hand, ready to walk out of there.

But Derek catches her other hand, making the girl stop. Tyson looks up at him too, then looks at Ashlyn, then looks at their hands, then looks at Derek again. "Why don't you go play for a little first, hmm?" He says to the boy. "Your Aunt can bathe you afterwards."

"Yeah." Tyson nods, happy with that.

Tyson's hand slips out of Ashlyn's and he takes off into the living room where he at least has some crayons and paper to play with, the fire took his other toys,

"Is everything okay?" Derek asks, looking back at Ashlyn.

"Why wouldn't everything be okay?" She asks, watching Tyson play.

"I meant with us." He says.

"Why would there be something wrong with us?"

He narrows his eyes, still looking at her face even though she won't looks at him. "The same reason you keep answering my questions with questions." He says. "And probably the same reason I woke up alone this morning."

She squirms, wiggling her hand out of his, and he certainly notices that. "Sorry, but… That was all a little too… _romantic_ last night." She says. "I panicked. I'm sorry."

"Romantic?" He repeats. "I didn't think a little romance would be a problem." He says, because that was the impression he was getting last night when he had her in his arms, in his bed, you know?

Ashlyn shakes her head. "I didn't think so either, but… You're the Alpha, Derek. You're _my_ Alpha." She says. "I didn't accept that for a long time, but…you are. I'm with this pack, and you're our leader."

"What does that mean then?" He asks her.

"It means I'm just another one of your betas." She says. She goes to walk away but he takes her hands again and pulls her close, their foreheads coming together. "What are you doing?" She asks him, heart beating even faster now.

"Why is it a problem if I'm your Alpha?" He asks her. "It doesn't matter, it-"

"In my old pack, it did matter. Alphas would be with other Alphas, and that was that. Betas weren't considered good enough for Alphas." She says, then she pulls away from him and he lets her go, letting the girl walk into the living room and sit down with Tyson.

Derek sighs and sits down at the dining table. He rubs his hand down his face. He puts his heart on the line and that's what he gets, huh? He should have known better.

.

 _That Evening_

"You've been acting a little strange today, what's going on?" Isaac asks, following Ashlyn around the house.

Ashlyn exhales, getting a little fed up. "Hey, could you watch Tyson for a little?" She asks Jessie. "I gotta go out."

"Yeah, sure." Jessie nods. "Just be careful, stay in lit areas. It's gonna get dark really soon." She advises.

"I know." Ashlyn nods. "Thanks." She says, heading for the door.

"Hey, wait." Isaac follows after her, because that was weird too. "Ashlyn." Isaac says, trailing behind her as she starts moving quite fast. "Hold on."

"I need to be alone, Isaac." She says with her back to him, tramping into the treeline of the woods.

"It's too dangerous out here to be alone, we should _both_ go back." He says, still following after her.

"Go back to the house." She says, getting frustrated as the beta ignores her requests to be by herself. "Isaac, I'm serious, go, or else-"

Isaac grabs her arm suddenly and she stops because she smelt that too. "Stay quiet." Isaac says to her. He focuses on the smells and what he can hear.

 _Thump… Thump… Thump…_

A weak heartbeat.

Ashlyn hears it too, but it's the smell of the blood that makes something inside of her perk up. She pulls away from Isaac again, taking off in its direction.

"Ashlyn, stop!" He calls after her before chasing after her once again. "Slow down!" She's fast, he'll give her that, but she's stupid for taking off. What if the Alpha's attacked someone _again_? It could still be close by, it could…

Isaac skids to a stop, and he almost crashes right into Ashlyn who's stopped as well, looking at where the stench of blood was obviously coming from.

"Ash… Ashlyn…" The person speaks weakly.

No wonder the smell jumped out at her.

"Andrew." She says, her eyes wide. "Andrew!" She races over to him, much to Isaac's disapproval. She catches him as he falls onto his hands and knees, coughing up more blood. "Isaac, help me." She looks at the beta with pleading eyes.

.

.

 **Okay… Who the hell is Andrew? And how will his character fit in? Is he good or bad? What's going on with Ashlyn and Derek? So many questions!**

 **Favorite! Follow! Review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**I'm so glad you all like the last chapter! I was unsure about that Dashlyn step, but I'm glad I took it! But… There's going to be some difficulties ;)**

 **Also, I normally write my OC as Scott's older sister, and I kind of miss those siblings feels, so here's a little Scott x Ashlyn throw in too (:**

 **And it's a long chapter this time too!**

 ***RK2341 – Thanks! I started reading it but got called away, my only concern was the spelling and punctuation but you quickly fixed that up so good on you! I'll finish it when I can (: I think everyone Dashlyn shipper is going to be feeling that 'kiss already!' vibe :P**

 ***Tesla424 – You'll find out this chapter! Sorry it took so long but here's the next chapter, it'll soothe you a little, or a lot :P**

 ***momentum123 – Hehe, sorry :P**

 **.**

 _Thursday 2_ _nd_ _June_

Ashlyn just sits beside the bed, looking at the man that's still, just like she has been since she got him back to the house yesterday. She's said nothing to the others, just tended to the stranger and his wounds.

"She called him Andrew." Isaac speaks quietly to Derek from the other side of the room. The Alpha stands by, just in case, because they're not sure who he is. Two things they do know for sure, Ashlyn certainly knows who he is, and he's not human.

"Who's Andrew?" Derek asks the beta, his voice just as quiet.

"He's a part of my pack." Ashlyn speaks up, because really? Quiet voices or not, she can hear them. She doesn't even look at them, she just keeps looking at Andrew.

Derek and Isaac share a confused look. Derek moves towards her first, and Isaac follows after. Derek comes to stand beside her, putting his weight on the uninjured leg, before he speaks. "Ashlyn, you said your pack were dead. All of them." He reminds her.

"I saw them die, and I saw some already dead. I couldn't account for _every_ member though, there was just so much blood." She recalls, her eyebrows dropping into a frown, and still her eyes stay fixed on the unconscious man. "I had no idea one of them survived."

"I don't know if 'survived' is the right word." Isaac says, looking at Andrew too. Ashlyn's done well with his wounds, but he still needs to heal. He looks at Ashlyn, and the girl's finally looked away from the man, and is now glaring at Isaac for the comment he just made. He looks at Derek, and he's getting a similar look. "Oh… Sorry." Isaac apologies.

Ashlyn looks back at Andrew, and Derek looks back at her. "What are we supposed to do with him, Ashlyn?"

"What do you mean?" She asks.

"When he's healed and healthy again, what are we supposed to do with him?"

Ashlyn frowns and her eyes settle on Derek now. "He's staying with us." She says. "He has to stay with us."

Isaac glances at Derek, waiting for his reply. "That isn't exactly your decision." Isaac comments, because he's a little on edge with this stranger in the house with them.

Ashlyn looks at him, and is about to say something, but Derek stops her. "He's right, Ashlyn. It's not even my decision, it's everyone's. We all need to agree, just like we did for you."

"You didn't all agree for me." She says. "You said the pack asked about me, but you never said they agreed to have me stay." She brings up, hoping to sway him.

"We did." Derek says. "Just when I asked you if you wanted to stay, I didn't tell you that. It didn't seem important, I thought you could tell we wanted you here."

"Well… I'm not leaving him again." She says anyway. "I won't." She shakes her head. "Either he stays, or…or we both go." She threatens.

"Hey, how about we get some air?" Isaac says, putting his hand on Derek's shoulder, because he can see this turning into an argument quickly. Both of their tempers are far too big, and there seems to be a little tension between them as well, no one's sure why though.

Derek looks at Ashlyn again, but she stubbornly looks away, looking back at her pack mate again. Derek exhales and walks away from them both, needing to get out of the room.

.

 _Later_

"She's fixed on having him stay with us." Derek tells them.

"No." Scott shakes his head. "No way. We don't know this guy, we don't know what he's capable of. What if he's dangerous? What if he tries to hurt one of us?"

"Ashlyn wouldn't have brought him here if she thought he'd hurt us, I'm sure." Jessie says.

"No, she wouldn't. She wouldn't let him around Tyson either." Danny backs up.

"That doesn't mean he won't try something." Isaac butts in. Danny frowns at him. "Sorry, but… I'm with Scott, I don't think this is a good idea. He was out there on his own for awhile after his pack were killed, who knows how much that could have changed him and twisted him up."

"Isaac's right, he might not be the same guy Ashlyn knew." Stiles says. "He could be savage, we don't know. He's been out cold this whole time, and Ashlyn's not talking much, we don't know enough about him to let him stay."

"We don't know enough about him to kick him to the curb either." Jessie defends, looking at Stiles, then at Derek. "What if you did the same to Ashlyn? She _was_ hostile, but she had her reasons, and now she's with us, she's part of this pack." Jessie preaches. "Why couldn't it be the same for Andrew?"

"I want to believe that, I do, I really do." Stiles speaks up again, making Jessie look at him again. "But our luck has never been that good in this town for something like that to happen." He says, and he's right, sadly.

"But if we make him leave, she'll leave too. Isn't that what she said?" Danny asks.

Derek nods, but he says nothing.

"I don't believe that." Isaac says, confusing them. "She may not have been around all that long, but she's built something here, her and Tyson both have."

"Andrew's from her original pack, Isaac." Scott says. "She's spent her whole life with that pack."

"So she just turns her back on us then?" Isaac asks.

"Whoa, hold on, we never agreed to kick Andrew out." Danny says, holding her hands up before the boys get into a heated argument over this.

"Exactly, so hold on." Jessie says.

"You're girls." Isaac says.

"So? What's that got to do with anything?" Jessie screws her face up.

"You're too sympathetic, that's the only reason you wanna give this guy a chance." Isaac says.

"Isaac." Derek warns, seeing the way both females look quite offended.

"Someone burnt down the loft, tried to kill us. We've got the hunters to deal with, something killing people to deal with too, we don't need to worry about this guy as well." Isaac says. "So, sorry to your spongy female hearts, but it's a no-"

"Hey, you want this _female_ to come over there and _unsympathetically_ turn your werewolf ass inside out-" Jessie threatens.

"Try it-"

"Stop." Derek says. "Calm down." He puts a stop to the discussion right then and there. "I said stop." He pulls Jessie to sit back down.

Jessie just glares at Isaac, and Danny doesn't look too happy with him either. Scott scratches his neck awkwardly, while Stiles tries to decide whether Jessie getting all riled-up like that was a turn-on or if he's just a little intimated himself.

"We need to come to an agreement." Derek says, just like he said in the beginning of this pack meeting. "But that doesn't need to happen this second, because we don't think the guy will wake up for awhile longer. So, go away, think it over, we'll come back together later." He says. "And everyone… _Everyone_ -" He looks between Jessie and Isaac. "-calm down. You won't make the best decision for this pack without a clear head." He says.

Isaac sighs and rubs his hands down his face. "I'm… I'm sorry." He says, looking at Jessie, and then at Danny. "I just really don't want anyone else to get hurt."

Derek nudges Jessie when she doesn't say anything. "Yeah… Sorry too. I don't want her to take off with him."

"Neither." Isaac says.

"C'mon, let's take a walk, clear the air a little." Scott says, looking at Stiles and Isaac as it seems Jessie and Danny will make their decisions together.

They all stand, and Isaac goes over to Danny. "See you soon." He says. He leans in to kiss her, and she moves her head so his lips touch her cheek instead of her lips. "What? Scott doesn't care if we kiss in front of him."

"I kind of do, just saying." Scott throws in, before walking away with Stiles.

"It's not that. You shouldn't talk to Jessie that way." Danny says. "She's like your sister, Isaac."

"I know." He mumbles, looking down at his shoes. "I said I was sorry." He continues to mumble, a little embarrassed that he's getting this lecture in front of everyone, but he deserves it.

"Isaac, hurry up." Scott calls.

"Go on." Danny says.

"Wait, are we okay then?" Isaac asks her.

"We're fine. Now, go with them." Danny says, guiding him in their direction.

"Kiss first?"

"No."

"What?"

"It's called punishment, now go." She smirks a little.

Isaac goes over to the boys, following them out, Scott muttering something about finally letting Isaac date his sister but he's still making them wait for him.

Stiles looks back at Jessie, catching her eye. He gives her a small half smile.

She looks back at him, giving him one as well.

Danny smacks her arm as she sees Derek approaching.

"Thanks." Derek says to Danny, because she stuck up for Jessie, and that's why he's grateful Danny's Jessie's best friend.

"Don't mention it." Danny says, looking at him. "Um, Derek?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you really gonna let Ashlyn walk away?" Danny asks him more seriously now. "You know she'll go with Andrew, so why even ask us?"

"Because we're a pack, it's how we make decisions." Derek says. "Even if the outcome isn't what we hoped." He says gloomily before he walks away from her.

Danny frowns a little. She knows Derek feels something for the girl, she can tell. Being human, not having to smell and hear a million things from all around them, she gets to focus on what's right in front of her much easier. And the more she's with Isaac and around Derek and Ashlyn, she can see them getting closer. She sees Derek let her in emotionally, and she sees Ashlyn let him in emotionally. She sees it, even if the others don't, even if Derek and Ashlyn themselves don't realize they're doing it. So she's very curious to see what Derek will do if Andrew does end up leaving and Ashlyn goes with him. Danny wonders how far Derek will go to keep her here, because by the tone of his voice moments ago and his lack of input in this discussion, he doesn't want her to go either.

"You think she'll leave?" Danny asks, turning to Jessie.

Jessie watches Derek go into his bedroom, and she shrugs. "I'm not sure, I hope not. But…I think my brother's very much against her leaving, or am I crazy?"

Danny looks over at his bedroom door too. "You're not crazy." Danny says.

.

"Mmm…"

Ashlyn moves closer to Andrew, looking down at the stirring man. "Hey." She says, touching his arm. "Andrew?"

"…Ashlyn." He says, his eyes opening. When he meets her eyes, a weak smile comes to his face. "Ash. God... It's so good to see you."

"You as well." She smiles down at him. "I thought you were dead."

"I thought _you_ were dead." He says. "I got away when that thing attacked, didn't see anyone else escape."

"Tyson and I were coming back, we missed the brute of it." She says, her face falling into a frown, she doesn't like to think about that. "What happened to you?" She asks him.

"Seems that Hell-hound wasn't finished with me. It came back, attacked again. I barely got away this time too." Andrew tells her.

"Wait… What'd you call it?" Ashlyn asks him.

"A Hell-hound." Andrew says. "It's what attacked me, and our pack. It's like a wolf, but…worse. A lot worse."

"You actually saw it?" Ashlyn asks him.

Andrew nods. "Right when it was going to kill me. I don't know what scared it off, maybe it was you and that guy. Who was that guy anyway?" Andrew asks.

"What'd it look like?" Ashlyn asks, ignoring his question.

"Black fur, red eyes, more teeth than possible to count, just like the legends say."

"Okay. Okay… Hold on, don't move." Ashlyn says, getting up. "Wait here."

.

Derek watches Ashlyn pace back and forth, obviously concerned, but it's more than that. She seems scared even. He swallows back whatever crap is going on between them, and he approaches her. "Hey." He says.

She stops, looking up at him. "Hey." She says, her eyes skirting away from him again.

"Are you okay?" He asks her.

Ashlyn nods, her arms crossed over her chest. "Yeah, I think so. Was just a shock finding him, I thought he was dead." She says.

"But he's not, he's going to be okay." Derek says, hoping to take that look off her face.

Andrew watches them talk as they wait for the rest of the pack to get back here. He watches as Derek speaks to her and she gives him a small, weak smile. He doesn't like it.

"How's your head?" Derek asks her. "Not still feeling dizzy or anything from the fire?" He asks, checking on her, and maybe he's making an excuse to keep talking to her.

Ashlyn shakes her head. "No, I'm fine. How's your leg?"

"Better." He says. "Doesn't hurt so much anymore, easier to walk."

"That's good." She says.

They slip into a silence, the teenagers coming back into the house from their different destinations.

"Hey, uh…" She looks at Derek again when he speaks. "I'm sorry about yesterday, I don't know…" He says.

She swallows and nods slowly, unsure how to respond.

He touches her arm and she looks at him again. "Are we gonna be okay?"

Andrew sits up a little more, watching Derek closely. Why the hell is he touching her?

Ashlyn nods. "Yeah." She says, touching her fingers to the top of his hands and his knuckles. "We're gonna be okay."

Andrew frowns, because why the hell is she touching him?

They both turn to the door when footsteps approach. Their hands fall back to their sides as the pack enter the room, all of them, together. "C'mon." Ashlyn nudges Derek's arm, walking over to the others.

"Who is that?" Danny asks, glancing at Andrew.

"Long story, just… Listen." Derek says. He turns to Andrew. "Can you tell us what you told Ashlyn?" He requests.

Ashlyn sees that stubborn look come to Andrew's face as he avoids everyone's eyes. "Andrew, you need to tell them anything else you know." Ashlyn says.

Andrew looks around the room at the pack, and looks back at Ashlyn. "This is where you've been this whole time? Cooped up with a pack of dogs?" He asks her, obviously not happy about that.

"You said it's a Hell-hound, yes?" Derek speaks up now, because Ashlyn just sighs. Obviously Andrew firmly believes were-jaguars belong with were-jaguars and were-jaguars _only_.

Andrew looks at Derek now, and says nothing.

"Andrew, please… We need to know." Ashlyn says, looking back over at him with pleading eyes.

Andrew looks into those blue eyes and he sighs, because he can't say no to her, not with that face. "Yeah, that's what I said." Andrew answers Derek, but purposely doesn't look at the Alpha at all.

Isaac sees this, and he knows it's disrespectful, but at least Derek's putting that aside for the moment. "So, it isn't an Alpha? We were wrong?" Isaac asks Derek.

"Not exactly." Derek says. "Hell-hounds have red eyes anyway, but it could still be an Alpha. It might be why it's so strong, why it's made it on it's own like it has." He says. He looks at Andrew. "What else do you know?"

"Nothing." Andrew says.

"Think harder." Derek says, getting a little agitated with the other man's attitude.

Andrew does look at Derek now, but only to hit him with a glare. "I said, nothing." He repeats snarkily.

Ashlyn looks between Derek and Andrew, and she can already tell they most probably aren't going to get along. Perfect, right?

Derek exhales slowly, keeping his temper in check. "You're not staying in this house with us." He says.

"Derek." Ashlyn frowns at him, but no one else disagrees. He's a stranger, a stranger with a bad attitude.

"There's a sleep-out on the property. You can stay and finish your recovery there." Derek tells the man.

"And after that?" Ashlyn asks. "What happens after that, Derek?"

Derek looks at her, then looks around at his pack. "What happens after that is a pack decision." He tells her.

Ashlyn shakes her head, looking away from them to look at Andrew. Andrew looks back at her, obviously wanting to ask what they mean by that, but Ashlyn will explain that later. "C'mon, I'll help you outside." Ashlyn says, putting an end to the discussion.

Derek turns to the others. "Stiles, Jessie, I need you on laptops, researching. "Danny, Isaac and Scott, get into the books, find whatever you can about these things." He directs.

Everyone starts to weed off, but Scott hangs back with Derek. "I don't like him." Scott says, looking at Andrew when it's just he and Derek standing there.

Derek looks over at Andrew too. Ashlyn puts her arm around him and helps him stand up. Derek's jaw pulses as he watches how Andrew rests his head in the crook of her neck, looking like she's _home_ to him.

Scott glances at the Alpha, seeing the angry look on his face. "Derek… You okay?" Scott asks him cautiously.

Derek just nods. He sees Andrew's arm drape around Ashlyn's waist, too South of the border for Derek's liking.

Scott follows his train of view, his eyes falling to Ashlyn and Andrew. "Oh…" He says, a few more puzzle pieces fitting together. He looks at Derek and goes to say something, but the Alpha cuts him off.

"I don't like him either." Derek says. Once Ashlyn's out of view, Derek looks down at his boots. "And she's not leaving with him." He says, before he turns and walks away from Scott.

Scott just watches him, coming to the realization that Derek does care about Ashlyn quite a lot, but Scott isn't sure just how much 'a lot' is.

.

 _That Night_

Ashlyn helps Andrew to lay down on the makeshift bed they created for him in the sleep-out. "You still didn't answer my question." Andrew says as Ashlyn uses some blankets to make him comfortable, he probably won't be up and moving until tomorrow anyway.

"What question?" Ashlyn asks, glancing at him.

"Who the guy with you in the woods was." Andrew says. "Actually, who any of those people were. Why are you with them?" He asks her.

"That guy, he's Isaac." Ashlyn tells him, tucking the blanket up more, like she does for Tyson. "The other two teenaged boys are Scott and Stiles. The two girls are Jessie and Danny. And the Alpha is Derek." She informs him.

"Hmm, Derek?" Andrew says, and Ashlyn nods. "The one with the bad gash on his leg, right?" Ashlyn nods again. "What happened there? That looks fresh."

"The loft complex we stay in was burnt down. He got that saving my life, he got me out of the fire." She says. "I'd be dead if it wasn't for him." She says, quieter.

"He seems quite protective over you." Andrew notes.

"I've been with them for awhile, since the attack. You might already know, but this town's far from normal, a lot of weird things have been happening, to us and to the people. Derek just watches out for me like he does for everyone." Ashlyn says.

"You make it sound like you're with them." Andrew says. "Are you with them, Ashlyn?" He asks her. "Hey." He catches her chin gently, making her stop and actually look at him. "Are you with them?" He asks, looking her in the eye.

"About a week back, Derek asked me if Tyson and I wanted to stay. I… I said yes." Ashlyn tells him. She sees something in Andrew's eyes, but she can't put her finger on it.

"Right…" Andrew lets her go, and he looks away from her.

Ashlyn clears her throat as the odd silence drags on. "Um… I'm gonna go back-"

"You're not gonna stay here with me?" Andrew asks, looking back at her. "You're gonna go back to them?"

"Well…" Ashlyn _was_ intending too. Tyson's in there, in a bed, a bed she was supposed to share with him. But… "No." She says. "I'm just gonna get Tyson and we'll come spend the night with you." She says, because she really should stick with him, he's pack, right?

"Okay." Andrew nods.

"See you a little later."

"Yeah, okay."

.

"But… I wan' stay in this house." Tyson pouts once Ashlyn's explained how things are going to be a little different tonight.

"It's just for tonight, sweetheart." She says. "C'mon, Andrew's all on his own out there."

"No, I wan' sleep here." Tyson shakes his head.

Jessie stops walking past them when she hears Tyson say that. "Hey. What's going on?" She asks. "Where are you going?"

"Just outside, with Andrew." Ashlyn says.

"Jessie, I don't wan' go stay out there." Tyson says, looking at the other girl.

"Oh… Uh…" Jessie doesn't know what to say. She looks at Ashlyn. "Maybe it's not such a good idea." She suggests, because Tyson seems quite against it, and even if Jessie doesn't want Andrew thrown out of town in fear that Ashlyn will follow, she doesn't really like Andrew either. He was rude to her brother, for no good reason.

"Why would you say that?" Ashlyn asks her, with a small frown.

"Oh… Nothing. Just… Nothing." Jessie decides against saying anything about it though. "Well… I can watch Tyson, if you like? I'll stay in here with him." She offers.

"Yeah." Tyson nods. "Please?" He looks at Ash now. "I like it in this house, outside is cold, and maybe smelly." He says.

It makes Ashlyn smile a little. She looks at Jessie. "If you really don't mind?"

"I don't." Jessie assures her.

"Okay then." Ashlyn says, because she really does trust Jessie, and she's just outside if something were to happen. Which she's sure it won't, because there are a pack of werewolves in the house protecting everyone. "Give me a hug then." She says, kneeling down to Tyson.

Tyson comes forward and hugs her, and Ashlyn hugs him back tightly. "I love you, Ash." Tyson says.

Ashlyn pulls back and smiles, then kisses her forehead. "I love you too, Tyson. Behave for Jessie, alright?"

"Okay." Tyson nods.

"Alright. Just call out if something happens or if you need me." Ashlyn says to Jessie.

"It's just one night, Ashlyn, it'll be fine." Jessie assures her. "You should let Derek know what's going on though. Isaac too, he might panic if he can't find you."

"I will." Ashlyn nods. "Alright… See you tomorrow."

Derek looks over at the bedroom door when there's a knock. "Yeah?" He says. The door opens and Ashlyn stands in the doorway. "What's going on?" He asks.

"I just thought I should let you know that I'm staying with Andrew tonight, Jessie's gonna look after Tyson in here, he doesn't want to come outside." She says.

Derek moves over to her. "You're going to stay out there with Andrew, by yourself?" He checks.

Ashlyn nods. "He's not this dangerous animal like you all seem to think. He's just scared, that thing killed our pack and then went after him again. He's scared, and he should be." She says.

"That's not my hang-up." Derek says, more to himself, turning away from her. "We'll see you when we see you then. We should have come to a decision about Andrew by the end of the day tomorrow."

"What does that mean?" Ashlyn asks, stepping closer to him.

"It means by the end of tomorrow, we'll either decide to let him stay or tell him to go-"

"No, not that. What do you mean that's not your hang-up?" She asks. "What is your hang-up then?"

Derek looks over at the wall for a moment. He looks back at the girl and shakes his head. "I just don't think you should be alone with him."

"Who? Andrew? You and Jessie…why do you two think he's some kind of monster?" She asks, frowning again.

"We think he's a monster? No, Ashlyn, he thinks we are." Derek corrects her. "The way he talked about us back there, the way he looked at us like our kind are beneath yours-"

"He didn't mean too, he was just shocked this is where I'd been this whole time." Ashlyn says.

"Yeah, I'd really like to hear him say that." Derek says.

Ashlyn sighs. "Whatever, Derek. Can you just keep an eye on Tyson for me?" She says.

"You know I always do, Ashlyn." He says. "Go then. He's probably waiting."

"Why are you being weird about this?" She asks the Alpha.

Derek could say a million different things. He could tell her he doesn't like having a confrontational stranger in the place he stays in, near it, or anywhere near his family and pack. He could tell her that the betas don't like him, and that they don't want him around. He could even tell her that he doesn't like the way Andrew looks at her, or treats her like she has to do everything he says just because they were in the same pack. But he says none of that. Instead, he brushes it off. "I'm tired, Ashlyn." He says, hinting for her to go.

She exhales and nods. "Tell Isaac I'll see him tomorrow." She says, because she's not really in the mood to have that talk again but with someone else.

"Ashlyn, wait." Derek says as she's about to leave. She stops, but doesn't turn back around to face him. "If we do decide he has to go…you can't leave us too." He says.

She does turn around this time, looking at him with exhausted sadness. "You all want him gone, don't you?" She asks, already knowing the answer.

"The girls haven't made their decision yet." Derek tells her honestly.

"Oh…" She deflates. "Well… If he goes, I have to go too. I can't abandon my pack again-"

"Ashlyn, no." Derek says, sighing loudly. He rubs his hands down his face and she frowns, seeing he's actually struggling with this.

"Why are you so adamant about us staying?" She asks him. "Derek… Why?" She asks, walking over to him.

"Just… It doesn't matter." He says. "Just don't leave, think it over."

"Derek. Why?" She asks again.

He looks at her, and he knows he can't dig himself out of this one. "Fine, you want to know why I don't want you two to go?" He asks her. He doesn't even give her the chance to nod or say 'yes'. "This is why." He says, cupping her face in his hands and leaning in.

She can only freeze as his lips touch hers. The Alpha feels how she doesn't respond, but she doesn't push him away either, so he doesn't pull back right away. Just as he's going to though, her hand comes up to the nape of his neck and she purses her lips, kissing him back softly but hesitantly at the same time. Whether he's her Alpha or not, she can't help the way she feels, and she can't help it if her body reacts positively.

Their lips come apart, and Derek rests his forehead against hers, still holding her face. "Don't go, Ashlyn." He says quietly, his eyes still closed.

She exhales shakily, keeping her eyes closed as well, scared to look him in the face. "Don't send Andrew away then." She says just as quiet, brushing her thumb over the back of his neck.

"They don't want him here, they don't trust him." Derek tells her. "I… I don't think I do either." He admits, even quieter. "If he has to go…don't go with him, please. Stay with us."

She opens her eyes now, looking at his face, which is still so close to hers. She brings both hands to his, threading their fingers together. "I can't lose my pack again, Derek."

"We're your pack too." He says. "Don't leave us behind, Ash." When he hears her sniffle, he opens his eyes, and sees her eyes are watery, because she's so conflicted.

"So is Andrew." She says. "You'd never leave Jessie behind. That's how I feel right now about Andrew. I… I don't know what to do." She blinks and a tear slips down her cheek.

He wipes it away with his thumb, caressing her cheek. "Stay." He says again.

She sniffles and pulls away from him, their hands coming apart and slipping back to their own sides. "I don't know." She says. She doesn't even say goodbye, she just leaves, closing the door behind her. And he doesn't stop her either.

She leaves the house, wiping her eyes, fixing herself up before she goes across the lawn and into the sleep-out.

"You're back." Andrew says, spotting her come in.

"Yeah." Ashlyn says, quietly. "Tyson's already asleep so I left him inside." She lies.

"You okay?" He asks, noticing she's not as lively as she was earlier.

"I'm fine. I'm just tired." She says, laying down on the floor with another blanket. "I'm gonna get some sleep."

"You wanna lay with me?" Andrew asks her, because they have unfinished business in that kind of department, and Andrew doesn't know where that'll go now that they've thought each other to be dead and been apart for awhile.

"I'm good here." She says, declining.

"Okay…" Andrew can't say he isn't disappointed. "Goodnight." Andrew says.

"…night." She says, rolling over, so her back's to Andrew. She's got a thousand and one things running through her mind right now. She knows she's not going to get much sleep.

.

 _Friday 3_ _rd_ _June – Dawn_

Ashlyn doesn't sleep very well that night, in fact, she's awake when the sun's starting to come out. She stretches, her back clicking. She sits up, rubbing her eyes. She looks at Andrew, but he's still very much asleep, which she is grateful for. She gets off the floor and tiptoes out the door, making sure not to wake Andrew, because she wants to be alone for a bit.

Because the sun will be up soon, she heads towards the woods, disappearing into the trees. She walks the dirt path, finding the tall shadows from the trees, the sun slowly starting to spill through the cracks in the trees and the silence only interrupted by tweeting birds and scampering bugs in the leaves quite soothing. It feels nice to be alone.

She walks until she reaches the lookout. And it's beautiful. She walks to the edge and sits down on the rock. The sun is rising over the town, spraying pinks, oranges and yellows over everyone and every building and home. It's simply beautiful.

She hears a loud crack of leaves behind her and her head snaps to it, eyes shining green.

"It's me." Scott assures her, and her eyes die out to human blue again. "I was actually coming to do the same thing you are, but then I picked up your scent." He says, and walks over to her.

Ashlyn watches him, she watches as he sits down beside her and looks over the town too.

"I wanted to check on you. It's early, I thought you'd be sleeping." Scott says. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know." She answers honestly, looking at the town too.

Scott glances at her, and he nods in understanding, because her life is a little hectic right now, all of theirs' are. "I know." He says. "Things are…crazy at the moment. But it'll get better, you know that, right?"

"I don't know." She says again.

"It will, I promise." Scott says. He drapes his arm around her shoulders slowly, so she can object, but she doesn't. "It will." He says again.

She looks at him now, noticing how brotherly he really is. Ashlyn actually leans her head on his shoulder, surprising herself a little. "You're a good kid." She says.

"I try to be." Scott says. "But I've made mistakes, just like everyone else." He admits.

They fall into silence for a while, the sun is now touching their skin, making the air less cold too.

"You and Derek have gotten close." It slips out of Scott's mouth.

Ashlyn looks at Scott's face. "…and?" She says.

But Scott hears the hesitation in her voice. "Do you like him?"

"Of course. I like all of you." Ashlyn says.

"That's not what I'm asking, Ashlyn." Scott says, meeting her eyes. "Do you like Derek, in a romantic way?" He asks her.

Ashlyn feels her cheeks heat up, and she looks down, trying to hide how they turn red.

But Scott sees it, and he nods in understanding. "I thought so." He says.

"It's not that easy." She says.

"What do you mean?" He asks her.

Ashlyn sighs and she looks up again, looking at Scott. "I…" She wants to spill, but she knows she shouldn't. Instead, she looks at it from another angle. "Andrew, he…."

"He likes you, I know, I can tell." Scott finishes for her. "But you do know that just because you were in the same pack, doesn't mean you have to stick with him or do what he says, right?"

"It's not that easy." She says again. "Me and Andrew were…kind of involved with each other, before the Hellhound attacked our pack." She tells him.

"What do you mean involved?" Scott asks her.

"Nothing serious, just… He liked me. He kissed me, but I didn't know what to do, so I took off for a bit. The next day, he kissed me again, and…I kissed him back." She tells Scott, and it feels good to get it off her chest.

"Oh…" Scott says.

"The Hellhound attacked and I thought he was dead, I… I didn't know he was still alive. And I can't help how I feel about Derek." She stresses.

"Hey, it's okay." Scott calms her. "Okay, just calm down." He rubs her arm. "Do you still have feelings for Andrew? Ashlyn, you can be honest with me, I'm not going to tell anyone." He promises her.

She swallows, wetting her throat. "Honestly? I… I don't know if I ever cared for him like that." She admits. "I didn't really know what I was doing, I don't think he did either. Of course I love him, but I love him as a pack member."

"But he cares about you in a different way…in a romantic way." Scott says.

"Well… He kissed me, so… I think so." She says, averting her eyes away from Scott.

"I think so too." He agrees. He can tell, just by how Andrew acts with her, just by how Andrew looks at her. "If you don't want Andrew in that way, then you don't have to go through with anything."

"I just don't know." She says. "Maybe if the Hellhound attack never happened then…then maybe we'd be together."

"But not if you didn't want to be." Scott says. "And you don't seem to want that now either." He observes. "You seem like you…" He isn't sure whether he should bring it up. But he's going too. "You seem like you want to be with Derek." He says.

She feels her cheeks heat up again, and her heart starts to beat faster. "I… I don't know."

"Ashlyn… I think we both know that was a lie." Scott says. "You don't need to lie, you can be honest with me-"

"He kissed me." It blurts out of Ashlyn's mouth. "Derek kissed me."

"What?" Scott asks.

"Last night, he…he kissed me." She tells him. "Don't tell anyone."

"I'm not going too." Scott promises her. "But… I have to ask…did you, you know, like it? Did you return it?" He asks her.

"A little." She nods.

"Does Andrew know?" Scott asks her.

She shakes her head quickly. "I don't want him to know."

"Don't worry, I'm not saying anything to anyone." Scott promises again. "But… I think you have a decision to make, you know? I get that things are different now to how they could have been if the Hellhound never attacked your pack, but sadly, it did. And it caused you to meet Derek, and now you think you may have feelings for him. So… You need to decide if you want to go back and see how you and Andrew could have worked out, or if you want to explore this thing with Derek. But you can't have both, Ashlyn. That wouldn't be fair. You need to make a decision."

She nods, because she knows she has too. "Do I have to decide right now?" She asks him.

"No." He says. "But soon. And you can't lead them on, they've both been through some stuff that's changed them, leading them on would make things worse. Just… Take some time, think it over, and then decide. Just don't wait too long, because you might lose them both." Scott tells her.

Ashlyn nods, knowing he's right.

"We should get back, everyone will be getting up sooner or later." Scott says.

Ashlyn nods and she stands up with him. "Hey…" She catches his arm when he starts to walk away. "Thank you, for this. I needed this." She says sincerely.

Scott nods. "You're welcome." He says. "Now c'mon." He says with a smile. "Let's get back to that crazy house, and get a little more sleep."

.

 _Morning_

Ashlyn wakes to someone shaking her gently. "Hmm… Derek?" She mumbles sleepily.

"What? No. It's Andrew." Andrew says quietly.

Ashlyn opens her eyes properly, rubbing them. "What's goin' on?" She asks him. "What time is it?" She asks, because she did fall back asleep when she got back to the house, but she isn't sure how long she's been out for.

"I think it's 9." Andrew says. "Come on, let's go for a walk."

"What?" She says, confused, and tired. "But you're hurt."

"I'm feeling a bit better, and I'm fine to walk around. We need to talk, Ashlyn, c'mon."

.

Ashlyn finds herself walking with Andrew. They walk the streets, there's not many people around. "What's this about, Andrew?" She asks him.

"We need to talk, we can't do it with that pack just next door."

"Talk about what?"

"You know they're gonna make me leave, right?" Andrew asks her.

"We don't know that, they're still deciding." Ashlyn says. "They said they'd come to a decision by the end of today." She doesn't want to say Derek's name, otherwise she has to think about what happened last night. And she isn't quite ready to process all of that just yet.

"Open your eyes, Ashlyn, they _will_ make me go." Andrew says. "I hear them talking, and the way they look at me-"

"What do you mean?" Ashlyn asks. "What have they been saying?" She frowns.

"Oh, just… Just some stuff about us-"

"No, what does that mean?" She asks, giving him the exact reaction he's after.

"Don't worry about it, Ashlyn."

"Andrew." She stops, catching his arm. "Tell me. What'd they say about us?" She asks. She can understand why they might talk about Andrew, since they're deciding whether he stays or goes, but why would they be talking about her? That she doesn't understand. And why are they all jumping to conclusions about Andrew anyway?

"Well… Well, I think, well, I'm sure that they think that…"

"That what?" Ashlyn asks, getting impatient.

And she's getting dragged right into his little devious plan. "That we're…together." He says. He studies her face, for her reaction, because he hasn't brought up their situation yet.

"…what?"

"They know you wouldn't leave me again, so, I guess, they figure that we're seeing each other or something." Andrew says. Ashlyn stays quiet, because she isn't sure what she feels for him anymore, and she isn't sure if she even knew what she felt for him when they were in their pack together either. "Ashlyn, if they make me go, they're gonna make you go too. That's what I'm trying to tell you."

"They said that?" She frowns. They said they _didn't_ want her to go. But why would Andrew lie? And why are they talking about this and some kind of 'relationship' between she and Andrew behind her back? If she's being honest, she's getting frustrated with them now, just as Andrew wants. And even if there is something between she and Andrew still, which she isn't sure, it's none of their business. Well… It's kind of Derek's business now…

Andrew nods, so she won't hear him lie. Not that she seems to doubt him, she seems concerned about this, she's eating right out of the palm of his hand.

"Did… Did you hear Derek say anything?" She asks him. Maybe that's why he kissed her last night? Ashlyn's just confused and very conflicted right now.

Andrew's eyes narrow a little, because out of them all, she chose to ask about Derek. _Derek_. Derek, who's an Alpha and Andrew isn't. Derek, who has a pack and Andrew doesn't. Derek, who's been taking care of Ashlyn and Andrew hasn't. To say Andrew's envious of Derek could be a possibility, but to say he doesn't like Derek is a definite. "No, but I'm sure he would have been a part of it too." Andrew says.

"Oh…" Ashlyn's frown deepens.

"Why does that matter?" Andrew asks her.

"It… It doesn't. I was just wondering." Ashlyn brushes it off, because bringing up another man in front of Andrew could be awkward. Andrew hears her heart skip a beat, but he doesn't comment on it.

"Anyway… I wanted to propose something to you, something I think is a good idea." Andrew changes the subject back to what he brought her out here to talk about.

"And what's that?" Ashlyn asks him, and they continue walking now.

"I, uh…" He isn't sure if he's told enough lies yet, he isn't sure if she'll agree. "I think you and I should leave together today." He says, looking at her.

Ashlyn slows to a stop again. She looks back at him, her face unreadable. "What? Leave?"

"Yeah." Andrew nods. "They're gonna make us leave anyway, Ashlyn, end of the day, like you said. Let's just go on our own." He says.

"Andrew… We don't-"

"Know that for sure, I heard you before." He finishes for her. "But I've heard them talking, and there's no way they're letting me stay. With me comes you, so we'll both be gone. Let's just go, save ourselves the embarrassment and just leave. Let's just go, tonight, today, _now_ even."

Ashlyn just looks at him, unsure what to say. "Andrew…"

"They don't want us around, you're too savage for them, they see you as an animal, a _pet_ , not a person." He says and her face falls. "It's the same way they see me. We're threats, we're not their friends. So why put ourselves through that?" He says to her. "C'mon." He takes one of her hands into his. "Let's just start over somewhere else, just us two. We'll have a pack as strong and as big as the one we used to have." He coaxes her.

"I… I don't know." She says.

"Ashlyn, be realistic." He says gently, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. She looks down at their hands, then back up at him. "You and me… We're strong, we'll get by. We'll be fine. We don't need them."

She still frowns though. She knows she can get by without them, she hasn't been with this pack her whole life, but then again her other pack's gone, all except Andrew. But… She likes it with them. She's finally starting to fit in with them, to get comfortable with them, to see them as…as…as _family_. And she doesn't have much of that left anymore.

"We don't need the girls, they're too young to know better. We don't need Scott or Stiles, or Isaac. We don't need Derek, that Alpha's…" He trails off, seeing her frown even more at the mention of _his_ name. Andrew sighs. He was really hoping what he thought was going on wasn't going on, but it's clear it is. "You have feelings for him, don't you?"

Ashlyn looks away from Andrew, unable to hold eye contact. She can still vaguely remember how it felt when Andrew kissed her, only days before the Hellhound attacked their pack and separated them.

"You do." Andrew sighs again.

"I-I don't." She tries to object.

"You're lying." Andrew says without missing a beat. "He's a wolf, Ashlyn, you can't."

"What's that got to do with anything?" She asks him.

"He's _canine_ , we're _feline_. We don't mix." Andrew says, his voice becoming a little aggressive. "And he's an Alpha, you're not."

"I know that. But I've been living with them-"

"Living together and dating are two _very_ different things, Ashlyn." Andrew cuts her off. "You and I, we…" Andrew brings it up now.

Ashlyn just sighs, she was hoping to avoid this conversation. "I was confused, I… I didn't know what I wanted."

"You didn't know if you wanted me, you mean?" Andrew corrects her, and he certainly remembers kissing her the first time, and her taking off, and then kissing her the next day and her actually reciprocating. "Do you want me, Ashlyn?" He asks her outright.

She looks down, avoiding his eyes. "I… I don't know. I don't think… I just… I don't know." She mutters, because she can also remember how Derek's lips felt against hers last night.

Andrew nods, accepting her uncertainty, but seeing the brighter side of the fact that she didn't just say no. "Tell me you don't really care for Derek that much."

She looks up at him again, but can't force the words from her mouth.

"Would you leave me behind for him?" Andrew asks her. This was his fear, that his plan wouldn't work and one of them would keep her tied to this town. He just never thought it'd be Derek who kept her here.

"Don't say it like I'm gonna have to choose between them and you." She says.

"You are going too." Andrew says. "They'll make you. That just shows they don't care about you like I care about you."

She steps back, taking her hands out of his. "I can't do this right now. Just… Leave me alone." She says, backing up.

"Ashlyn-"

"Just leave me alone!" She repeats, louder, but she walks away from him.

.

 _Lunchtime_

"I thought we weren't making this decision until later?" Scott asks as they all sit down in the living room of the rental house.

"I know, and I know I shouldn't have pulled you out of school either, but…a couple things have come up." Derek says.

"Oh, jeez… What now?" Danny sighs.

"Nothing bad." Derek tells her. "I, uh, I've put down a deposit on a place across town, close to where the loft was, close to your high school." He tells them. "Can't stay here forever, they'll need the place back soon, so we should be in there in the next couple days. It's 8 bedrooms."

" _8 bedrooms_?" Jessie asks, her eyebrows raising.

Derek nods. "So every one of you have your own room." He tells them. "If you stay or whatever, you have a room. Tyson and Ashlyn will have their own rooms too, he's old enough to sleep alone now."

"Derek, that's…that's awesome." Stiles smiles. "Thanks, man."

"Yeah, thanks."

"Thank you, really."

The Alpha squirms a little as they all thank him, because he isn't used to so much gratitude.

"Not to burst everyone's bubble but… We need to talk about Andrew as well." Jessie says reluctantly.

And the happiness is gone from the air, everyone sharing looks, silently asking what they've decided to go with, whether they want him to stay or not.

"Before we decide, I just wanna say something." Jessie says. "I asked Derek to bring us all together earlier, because Danny and I thought of something, and I want you guys to think about it."

"Think about what?" Stiles asks her.

"This thing with the Hellhound, and the hunters… Yeah, we probably could have used their help, but I'm glad we didn't take it because I don't trust them at all. In fact, I'm pretty sure they burnt down the loft in retaliation of us saying no, and it's probably why they all seem to be MIA." She says. "But right now, that's not important, we'll get to the bottom of it, but not right now. Right now, we need to worry about the Hell-hound attacking again." She prioritizes. "And… I think that having another pair of supernatural hands around would be a good idea."

"You mean Andrew, right?" Isaac asks.

Danny nods. "Just… Think about it. He's like Ashlyn, he can help us, and we know he would never betray Ashlyn so he's far more trustworthy than a gang of hunters." Danny says.

As much as he hates to admit it… "I think she's right." Scott says. "We could use his help. And he'd never turn on Ashlyn, and she'd never do that to us, so I think it's a good idea."

"So, what? He stays here? With us? Joins the pack?" Isaac asks, obviously not liking that.

"No." Derek says. " _If_ we all decide he can stay and help, as soon as the Hell-hound's dealt with, we will do this again. We'll come to another decision, but that time it'll be whether he stays with us and joins the pack, or if he leaves." Derek tells them.

"Well… What do you think?" Stiles asks the Alpha.

"Yeah. What do you think we should do?" Scott asks him.

And suddenly all eyes are on the Alpha, looking at him for guidance at least. "I… I don't like it, but… We could use the help." He tells them, and he _really_ doesn't like this idea, but it's not about him and his tension with Andrew, it's about keeping the pack and the people of the town safe, and _alive_.

"Well, then maybe…maybe he should stay, just until the Hell-hound's dead." Isaac says. He looks at Scott and Stiles too, because the boys were the ones mainly against having Andrew stay.

"I'm with you." Scott says, looking at Derek. "Just until the Hell-hound is taken care of."

"Stiles?" Derek says, looking at the human boy.

Stiles looks at Jessie, for some guidance. Derek frowns a little, because he'd think Stiles would look to Scott maybe, he wonders why he's looking to Jessie for help. But Jessie nods, because it's the right thing to do. Stiles looks back at Derek and nods. "Just for now." He says.

"Okay." Derek nods, eyes flicking to Jessie, then back to Stiles. "We let Andrew stay, on the condition that he's here to help us kill the Hellhound. And when it's done, we make the next decision. Think of it as… He's on trial, to see if he's the kind of person we want in this pack."

"I definitely don't want him in the pack." Isaac says.

"Hey, c'mon." Derek stops the murmurs that begin. "We're not making that decision right now." He says, even though he doesn't want Andrew around either. But for Ashlyn's sake, and for the town's sake, he gets this chance to prove himself. And hell, maybe he'll surprise them all. You never know.

.

 _Later_

"Okay, where is Ashlyn?" Jessie asks her brother. "She's not out there, only Andrew is, and he said he doesn't know where she is."

That sets off alarms in Derek's head. "Tyson's still here though?"

"Yeah." Jessie nods. "He's coloring. But he keeps asking for her, I don't know what to tell him."

"I'll go find her." Derek says.

"Hey, wait. No." She catches Derek's arm. "Your leg-"

"Jessie, I'm fine." He says for what feels like the millionth time. "Deaton said a few days, it's been a few days. I'm fine."

"I just… I worry, about you." She says, letting him go.

Stiles is coming into the kitchen, but pauses, seeing the two siblings in conversation.

"It's my job to worry about you, not the other way around." He tells her.

"No, we're supposed to worry about each other." She corrects him. "And I don't want you to keep going off on your own, because I'm scared there's gonna be a time where you don't come back, and I…"

"Hey." He puts his hand on her shoulder. "I'm always going to come back. C'mon, you know that."

"Yeah… Yeah." She nods. "Just…" She comes forward and hugs him tightly.

"Whoa. Okay." Derek says, surprised. He pats her back, looking down at her. "What is this? Why are you emotional?" He asks, because it isn't very common.

Jessie pulls back, wiping her eyes. "I think it's my time of the month." She says, because she really isn't usually that emotional.

Derek's face screws up a little, and Stiles almost laughs and gives away his hidden location. "Uh… You want money for…girl stuff?"

"No thanks, I already took your card yesterday." She tells him, and then chuckles.

"Of course you did." Derek says, getting used to how sneaky she can be. He scruffs her hair. "Well, you handle…that, and I'll go find Ashlyn." He says.

"Okay." She nods. "Be careful."

"I will." He nods, leaving the house.

Stiles comes into the kitchen now, and Jessie turns around when she hears his footsteps. "Everything okay?" He asks her.

She nods. "Just… Being a teenaged girl sucks sometimes."

"I know what that means." Stiles nods. "We should bake a cake."

"What?"

"A chocolate cake. And then put chocolate icing all over it. And put chocolate on top of that as well."

"You take a class in period cravings or something?" She asks him, chuckling.

He chuckles too. "C'mon." He says, holding his hand out to her.

Jessie smiles and takes it, the two going over to the cupboard.

Derek goes outside and inhales. He's about to walk off, but sees Andrew come out of the sleep-out. He walks over to the man. "Where's Ashlyn?" He asks him.

Andrew looks up at him, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He brings a lighter up, lighting it. "I don't know." He says. Andrew does _not_ like Derek, and he _certainly_ doesn't like how Derek's swooped in and practically stolen Ashlyn from him.

"Where did you get those?" Derek asks, because he knows the man most probably doesn't have any money.

"Relax, I didn't hurt anyone to get them." Andrew rolls his eyes, inhaling the tobacco smoke.

"When did you see Ashlyn last?"

"This morning."

"Be a little more specific." Derek says, quickly losing his patients.

Andrew looks at him and sniffs, looking unbothered that Ashlyn hasn't come back, but deep down he is quite worried, and he hopes she's safe and on her way back.

Derek's about to snap, but then he spots the very girl walking up the street. "Ashlyn?"

The girl hears her name and looks up, seeing Derek and Andrew standing together. That picture makes her want to run in the other direction, but she doesn't. She just heads towards the house, wanting to check on Tyson.

Derek gives Andrew a look, then jogs after Ashlyn. "Hey, wait. We need to talk." He stops in front of her.

"I just wanna see my nephew." Ashlyn says.

"He's fine, he's with Jessie." Derek says. "Listen, we sat down and talked about Andrew."

Ashlyn looks at him now. "Let me guess, he has to go, right?" She says. She isn't very happy with anyone right now. Between the fact they want Andrew gone and haven't hid that fact, and everything Andrew was saying to her, Ashlyn would rather be alone right now.

"No, we came to a third decision." He says.

She looks at him in surprise. "What?"

"He can stay, but he has to help us take down the Hell-hound. And once that's done, we'll come together again and decide whether he stays for good or has to go." Derek tells her.

"But he gets to stay here for now?" Ashlyn asks.

"Yeah." Derek nods.

"Oh… Thank you." She says, because at least that's some weight off of her shoulders.

"Don't thank me, thank the girls. It was their idea." Derek says. "Also, we're moving into a new place, hopefully tomorrow, maybe the next day." He tells her.

"That's great news." She says.

"It's 8 bedrooms, one for everyone in the pack. You and Tyson get your own rooms too."

"Oh, my God. Really?"

"Yeah." He nods. "I want us all together a lot of the time, it's the only way I can guarantee everyone's safe."

"You know you're kind of amazing, right?" She asks him.

"When I'm not kissing you, you mean?" He sighs, ruining the moment.

She sighs and shakes her head. "I kissed you back, Derek." She says.

"But you don't want to be with me." He says.

Those words trigger her, because it's the same thing Andrew's trying to figure out. She just… She wasn't exactly planning to be with someone again, it just happened. She doesn't know what to do. "I'm just… I'm just trying to figure out how all this works. I'm still getting used to being with a new pack, and now Andrew's here and… I'm adjusting." She says.

"So… It's safe to say, you don't hate me at least?" He asks.

She comes forward and hugs him, resting her cheek on his collarbone. "I could never hate you. I just… I need a little time." She says. She still wants to work out how much of what Andrew said that they said is true. And he did mention Derek was part of it, so she needs to look into that as well. She just doesn't know right now.

"I can give you time." He says.

She nods and pulls back.

"Hey." He says when she starts to walk away. Ashlyn stops, facing him again. "Beta, Omega or Alpha, you aren't below me in any way. You are good enough, you always will be." He tells her. She gives him a nod, to acknowledge she heard what he said, then she turns around and keeps walking back towards the house without another word.

.

 _That Night_

Derek sits at the dining room table, a book in front of him, but his eyes are elsewhere. He watches Ashlyn cuddle Tyson and play with him, making up for the time they spent apart. She's always happy when she's with Tyson, and Derek's grateful for that, they all need something that makes them happy regardless of the crappy situation they're in.

He sits down at the end of the table, looking at Derek. "Derek."

Derek looks away from Ashlyn, looking in the voice's direction, finding Andrew's sitting there, looking at him. "Andrew." He says.

"Ashlyn told me what's happening." He says. "She told me why I'm staying."

"Is that going to be a problem for you?" Derek asks him.

"No." Andrew says. "Is me staying gonna be a problem for _you_?" Andrew asks.

A couple moments of silence pass. "No." Derek says. "I know you mean a lot to Ashlyn, so no."

"Yeah, I do. And you have no idea how much she means to me." Andrew says, maintaining eye contact with the man.

Derek stands up, taking the book with him. He looks at Andrew. "We're moving tomorrow, be awake early." He says, then walks out of the kitchen area, going over to where Ashlyn's with Tyson.

Andrew watches him, watches how they interact. He watches Derek scruff Tyson's hair gently, and that makes the boy laugh. It also makes Ashlyn look at him with soft eyes, even if she's still worried about what Andrew said. Then he watches as Derek kisses her head, but Andrew sees the look on her face, she's conflicted and confused about her feelings and about what Andrew's told her. Just as he wants. Because then there's no way he'll leave and she won't come. So, Andrew just smirks.

.

.

 **Well… Andrew might be trouble. But Derek kissed her! :O Don't stress, I'm really trying not to make this into some kind of love triangle or anything, but there will be conflict! Which way will Ashlyn go? Derek or Andrew? Stay with the pack or go with Andrew?**

 **Favorite! Follow! Review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**So sorry to keep you all waiting so long! Hope everyone's had a good Christmas, or whatever you celebrate this time of year, and has a good new years (:**

 ***Tesla424 – Yay, I'm glad you do (: Thanks!**

 ***RK2341 – Thank you (: Hehe, I'm excited to see who will like and take Andrew's side, and who will stick with Derek!**

 ***momentum123 – Hehe, I see you are very much on Derek's side :P**

 **.**

 _Sunday 5_ _th_ _June – A Couple Days Later_

"I like this house." Tyson says, playing with new toys, courtesy of Jessie, in his bedroom.

"I like it too." Ashlyn says, smiling, brushing his hair back with her fingers. "So, you're sleeping okay in here by yourself?" She asks him.

Tyson nods. "Yeah."

"I miss you sometimes though." She says.

"I miss you too." Tyson says. "But big boys have their own rooms."

"Who told you that?" Ashlyn asks him, because she's never said it before.

'De'ick." Tyson says. "He says I'm a big boy now so I have a big boy's room."

"Well, he's right. You are a big boy now." She nods. "Tyson… What do you think of, um… Of… Of going to kindy?" Ashlyn asks him, because she kept seeing this kindergarten not far from the new place when they were making the trips to the new place from the rental. She questioned Jessie about what it is and Jessie broke it all down for her, and then subtly suggested Tyson attends one.

"What's kindy?" Tyson asks.

"It's kind of like school, but it's a school before real school. Lots of kids go there and you get to learn about lots of things, and do art, and…things like that." Ashlyn says.

"Would you come too?" Tyson asks, looking up at her now.

"Um… No. It's only for kids." Ashlyn says.

"I don't wanna go then." Tyson shakes his head, frowning. "I don't like it."

"Okay, okay. It's okay." Ashlyn starts rubbing his back. "I just wanted to ask. It's okay." She frowns, because she knows school is only a year and some change, more or less, away for him. And now that they're no longer in the wild, he will most probably have to go to school. But she brushes it off for now, it's not of importance right this second.

Derek drinks his usual morning coffee downstairs, looking into the living room where he's allowing Andrew to stay, as they all have their own rooms now so everyone sleeps in them instead of the living room, and they don't have a sleep-out or anything. Derek doesn't know if he really wants Andrew around, if he's being honest. The guy's causing trouble, and he seems to only want to cause more. And Derek can see Andrew has feelings for Ashlyn, Derek just hopes for Andrew's sake that they're only pack-related. But he isn't stupid, he knows that's not all it is.

But Andrew is in the kitchen as well, getting a coffee too. He looks at the Alpha, and sees him looking in the living room, over at the sofa where he's been sleeping.

Derek feels Andrew's eyes on him, and he can hear that the man isn't moving around anymore, so he's just staring at Derek. "She's been quieter the past couple days, don't you think?" Derek speaks up without looking at Andrew, still looking straight ahead.

Andrew's surprised when Derek speaks up, but he still answers. "I'm gonna go out on a whim here and guess you're talking about Ashlyn?" Andrew suggests.

"Yeah. I'm talking about Ashlyn." Derek clarifies.

Andrew pours his coffee. "Yeah. I've noticed it." He says.

Derek stands up, turning around to face Andrew now. "What did you do to her?"

"What?" Andrew asks, looking back up at Derek from his coffee.

"My pack wouldn't do anything to upset her. So that only leaves you." Derek says. "The new guy." He titles Andrew.

Andrew frowns angrily. "The new guy? Really, Derek? She was with me _long_ before she found any of you." He reminds the Alpha, standing his ground. "And I wouldn't upset her either. You're asking me what I've done? What about you?" Andrew turns it around on Derek. "I noticed you're quite cozy with her, but she still seems to prefer to be by herself." Andrew says. "…or with me." He adds, because he just can't help himself.

Derek's eyebrows drop now, he knows what Andrew's insinuating. "With you? Really?" Derek asks. "Funny, because she spent the night with me not long ago, and she seemed quite comfortable." He brings up, even though he knows he probably shouldn't be telling anyone.

"You're lying." Andrew says. Ashlyn wouldn't spend the night with Derek, right?

"If you say so." Derek says without missing a beat. "Now, tell me what you did or said to her." He says, stepping closer to Andrew.

"I do a lot and say a lot-" Andrew tries.

"Don't play dumb. What did you do or say to upset her?" Derek cuts him off.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Andrew says. "I think you'll find it wasn't me at all." He says. "You'll find it was probably you, the big, bad Alpha-" Andrew starts to mock, both males coming closer to each other threateningly again.

They both look at the kitchen/dining room entrance when Tyson comes racing in. "Hi." He smiles, waving at Derek and then at Andrew.

In follows Ashlyn. She slows, seeing both men standing there. "What's going on?" She asks, because they seem to be standing quite close, and Ashlyn's sure they wouldn't be having a conversation if they didn't have too, it's becoming clear that they won't get along for a good long while.

"Nothing, sweetheart." Andrew answers first.

Derek's eyes harden when he hears the pet name leave Andrew's mouth.

"Everything's fine. We were just talking." Andrew assures her with a smile.

Ashlyn looks at Derek, then at Andrew again. "Okay…" She nods. She looks between them again before going over to the fridge.

Derek meets Andrew's eyes, the man smirking. Derek just wishes he could… No. He can't do that. So, instead of reacting how Andrew wants him too, he walks away from him, going over to Ashlyn and Tyson.

Ashlyn glances at him. "I'm just getting Tyson's breakfast. That's okay…right?" She asks, her hands slowing to a stop, like she thinks she's crossed a line.

"Yeah, of course it is." He nods.

"Okay, cool." She says, moving again. She glances back, seeing Andrew's looking at her, and Derek is too. "What?" She asks them.

"Are you okay, Ashlyn?" Derek asks her.

Ashlyn looks away. "I'm fine." She says, looking back into the fridge again.

Derek and Andrew both hear her heart beat skip. A lie.

"Ashlyn-" Andrew tries.

"I just want to make Tyson breakfast, can you leave me alone?" She blurts out, looking at both men. "I'm… Sorry. I'm sorry." She says quickly, realizing how rude that was. "I'm just getting used to the new place, but I'm fine, just… I'm fine." She says.

"It's okay." Derek says. "If you need anything, let me know." He says, and simply walks away, leaving her alone like she wants.

Andrew watches the Alpha walk off, and he isn't sure what he should do.

"C'mere, sweetie." Ashlyn says to Tyson, lifting him up. "What should we make you for breakfast?"

"Ashlyn? Can we talk?" Andrew asks, walking over to them.

"Aunty's makin' me b'eakfast." Tyson answers for her, and it almost impresses Andrew.

"Maybe later, okay?" Ashlyn says. "I need to deal with Tyson." She says.

"Okay." Andrew nods, and then he leaves her alone too.

Ashlyn sighs. She doesn't know what to think, about Derek, about Andrew, about the pack, about what Andrew claims he heard the pack say about he and her. She feels like things were much simpler before… She stops herself before she thinks _before Andrew came back into the picture_ , because that isn't fair…is it?

"What should we make?" Tyson asks her, snapping her out of it.

"I'm not sure, let's have a look." Ashlyn says, giving him a smile.

.

 _That Afternoon_

Winter's on it's way, but this afternoon is warm and sunny. Ashlyn sits on the deck stairs out the back, soaking up some sun. Tyson's on the grass only metres away, playing with his toys. It was sunny and he wanted to bring them outside. In fact, he actually wanted to take them to the beach, but Ashlyn isn't so sure about going to such a public place, she's still rusty with this whole 'human' thing.

She glances back in the house, spotting Isaac and Jessie coming in the front door from being out with Danny, Scott and Stiles for the day. Ashlyn gives them a small smile when they notice her, both giving her a wave. Ashlyn looks back out over at Tyson, checking in on him. But he's fine, still playing with his toys.

Then Tyson looks up, a big smile coming to his face. "De'ick, come play wif' me." He says, spotting the Alpha.

Derek looks outside, seeing Tyson and Ashlyn. He abandons his ideas about making lunch, and goes outside.

"Come play wif' me." Tyson says to him again.

Derek looks at Ashlyn, and she seems more relaxed than she was this morning, the tension's gone from her shoulders. He looks at Tyson. "In a minute, okay?"

"Okay." Tyson nods excitedly.

"Hey." Ashlyn says to him, looking up at him.

"Hey." Derek says, and sits down beside her on the step.

"It's a nice day." Ashlyn comments.

"Yeah." Derek nods.

"Tyson wants to go to the beach, but…I don't know. That's a lot of people, a lot of strangers, you know?" She says.

"We could go?" Derek offers. "We could all go, keep an eye out. He'd be safe."

Ashlyn looks at Derek again. "Really? Everyone would do that?"

"Yeah." Derek nods.

"Oh, well…I'll talk to Tyson-" She goes to get up but Derek catches her arm.

"Hold on a second." He says. "Sit down."

She sits back down, confused. "What's going on?"

"Something's going on with you." Derek says, and Ashlyn sighs. "I want to know what it is."

"It's nothing." She says, looking down at her feet.

"What's going on, Ashlyn?" When she doesn't answer, he slips his fingers under her chin, bringing her head up to look at him. "Hey. What is it?"

She sighs again. "What am I to this pack, Derek?" She asks him.

"What do you mean? You're one of us." He says.

"Really? I'm not just some pet?" She asks. "Just some savage you guys took in?"

"What? No." He shakes his head. "Who told you that?" He asks.

She pulls her chin out of his hold, and looks over at Tyson so she doesn't have to look at him.

Then it clicks. "Did Andrew tell you that?" He asks her.

Ashlyn shakes her head.

"No, answer me." Derek says, so he can listen to her heartbeat. "Did he tell you that?"

Ashlyn meets Derek's eyes, and says nothing.

But it's enough for Derek to know that he was the one to tell her that. He _knew_ Andrew had something to do with it. "That's why you've been distant? With all of us, and me?" He asks her.

"I don't know. I think so." She says quietly. "I guess I'm questioning where it is I fit in here." She admits.

"You fit in here as a member of this pack." Derek tells her. "Just like Scott and Isaac, just like Danny, Jessie and Stiles, you're a part of this pack. You bring something to the table just like every one of them does." He says. "As for Andrew, I'll talk to him-"

"No, please." Ashlyn grabs his arm. "Please, just… Just leave it. He said those things because… He's just trying to protect me-"

"That's not how you protect someone, Ashlyn. You know that. And we aren't the ones you need to be protected from." Derek says.

"Andrew's struggling, I can tell. That Hell-hound killed our pack, then tried to kill him. He's been alone this whole time, while I've been cozy here. He's just bitter, and confused. He's still grieving too, we both are." Ashlyn says.

Derek nods, because all of that is understandable. "You know we all are really trying to give him a chance here, right?"

"I know." She nods. "Otherwise he wouldn't still be here."

"Exactly." Derek says. "But he's here because we know you care about him."

"And because we need help too, right?" She asks.

"Yes, but… That's not the only reason. We decided to give him a chance to see if he'll fit in with us."

"Again, I have to ask… What happens if he doesn't fit in? Will you ask him to leave?" She asks the Alpha.

"You know what happens then, Ash." Derek says.

She sighs and nods. "Yeah, I do know. And you know what happens then as well, right?"

"You're not leaving." He shakes his head.

"Is that an order?" Ashlyn frowns.

"No. It's a request." Derek says. "We care about you and Tyson. Don't leave us behind."

"I don't want to have this conversation all over again." She says.

He sighs. "I guess this does feel familiar." He nods. "Then I'd kiss you and you'd cry and-"

"Hey, I didn't cry." She says.

"Well… You kind of did."

"I was upset, but I didn't cry." She says, even though Derek vividly remembers wiping a tear from her cheek.

"Then maybe I could kiss you again?" Derek wonders.

"…I don't know." She says.

"I'm going to kiss you again." He tells her this time.

"Right now?" She asks him.

"Yeah." He nods.

She just looks at him. "Like… _Now_ now?" She asks.

He nods again. "Is that okay with you?" He asks her.

"What if… What if someone sees?" She asks him quietly, her eyes darting around.

"I don't care if someone sees." Derek says.

Ashlyn looks back at him.

Derek brings his hand up to the nape of her neck. "Can I kiss you then?" He asks.

She meets his eyes and she finds herself nodding.

Just as he said he would, Derek leans in, pressing his lips to hers gently.

But of course, _Andrew sees_. He stops dead in his tracks, looking at the two adults.

Derek pulls back, and Ashlyn's eyes open after his. "I don't want you to go anywhere." He says.

She swallows, looking down. "I can't promise you anything." She says. She looks up at him again. "I'm sorry."

At least Andrew can hold onto that. Even if Derek wins her over, she's still open to leave with him and leave Derek behind. So, at least Andrew can hold onto that.

"Okay." Derek nods, because he knows that no matter how many times he says it, in the end, she'll make up her own mind.

"Can we not talk about that right now, please?" She asks him.

"Okay." He nods again. "I think that's a good idea."

"Me too." She says. She finds some confidence, and she draws him forward again. When he's close enough, she kisses him, making the first move for the first time. He kisses her back right away; no hesitation.

Isaac's passing through the kitchen again when he sees them. He smacks Andrew's arm, because he's still watching them. He smacks it again, how teens do when they want their friend's attention to show them something cool. "They're kissing." Isaac says with wide eyes.

"I know." Andrew grounds out, and pushes past Isaac, walking away. When Derek kissed her, he could move past it, but that second kiss? _Ashlyn_ kissed him, that was _her_ move, and Andrew's more than jealous.

When they start to pull back, Isaac dives back out of the kitchen, so they don't know that he saw them.

Ashlyn and Derek just look at each other.

"Ash?" Tyson calls out, looking up from his toys, completely oblivious.

Ashlyn looks over at him. "Yeah?"

"Are we going to the beach?" Tyson asks her.

Ashlyn looks back at Derek.

Derek nods, then looks at Tyson. "Yeah, we are. C'mon, little man."

.

It took 15 minutes for their plan to be ruined. And it sucks, because everyone was prepared to go to the beach, Stiles was bringing his Jeep and even offered to pick up some takeaways, Isaac was grabbing towels and everything. But they got too comfortable, they let their guard down, and something went wrong.

" _Derek? Derek?"_

" _Melissa?" Derek had answered confused. Scott had looked at him in confusion as well. "What happened?" He'd asked, because her ringing him means trouble._

" _I'm with John right now, they found a body. A dead body." Melissa had told him, her voice urgent, disturbed even. And that's never good news either._

 _The wolves had all looked at Derek, because they could hear the phone call taking place._

" _Cause of death?" Derek had asked, but he already knew the answer._

" _Animal attack." Melissa had told him with a heavy sigh._

.

 _That Night_

Ashlyn rubs Tyson's back as he lays on his bed, still looking upset. "I'm sorry, sweetheart." She says again. "I know you wanted to go, but…something bad happened and-"

"Andrew said someone died." Tyson says.

Ashlyn's hand stops, and she looks down at her nephew. "Andrew said, _what_?" She asks him.

"He said someone got kill'd." Tyson tells her.

Ashlyn's face drops; why the hell would he tell the kid something like that?

"Did someone get kill'd?" Tyson asks her.

"Tyson…" She just sighs. She doesn't want to lie, but she doesn't want to expose him to this crap either. "Yes, someone did get hurt, but… Let's not talk about that anymore, all right?"

"Okay." Tyson nods.

Ashlyn keeps rubbing his back, a frown on her face, angry at Andrew.

Andrew's falling asleep on the sofa when footsteps come into the living room, stopping right beside him. He opens his eyes, but he's grabbed and lifted up.

Derek pushes Andrew up against the wall by his throat, trying not to be loud enough to wake the others in the house. "I knew it, you've been chewing on Ashlyn's ear-"

"Get your filthy paws off of me." Andrew growls.

Derek shoves him back, letting him go. "I'm going to warn you _once_. Leave her alone, stop trying to manipulate her against us, because it isn't going to work." Derek says. If only Derek knew what Andrew had told Tyson.

"And if I don't stop?" Andrew asks him.

Derek looks back at him. "One of us will end up killing you." He warns him. He glares at the man before he wakes out of the living room, heading up to his room.

.

.

 _Later That Night_

Andrew can't stop thinking about it all, so he gets off the sofa, and decides to go find Ashlyn.

There's a knock at Derek's door, waking him up. Ashlyn stirs a little but he slips out from beside her carefully, so she stays asleep. He answers the door, hoping it's nothing bad as it's quite late.

"I thought I smelt Ashlyn, thought this was her room." Andrew says when the bed-haired Alpha opens his door.

Derek just looks at the man with tired eyes. "It's late, why would you be looking for Ashlyn at this time?" Derek asks him.

"Just tell me where I can find her." Andrew says.

Derek narrows his eyes at Andrew's aggravated tone. Then he decides he might rub this in, _just a little._ "Right here." Derek glances behind him and then back at Andrew.

Andrew looks confused, but when he looks behind Derek, he can see someone still in bed, sleeping, surrounded by a sea of dark hair. He looks back at Derek, an envious look in his eye. "Why the _hell_ is she in here?" He asks.

"She's spending some time with me." Derek says. "You know? Getting 'cozy' as you put it."

"And that means what exactly?" Andrew asks. "Why would she be in _your_ bed, sleeping with _you_?" He asks, confrontationally.

Derek's too tired for this. He steps closer to Andrew. He lets his eyes softly bleed red. "It's late. You should go back downstairs. You can talk to her tomorrow morning."

Andrew assesses the situation, meeting Derek's eyes, not showing any intimidation towards the red color. "I guess you're right." He says. "I wouldn't want to wake _my_ girl up." He says, choosing his words carefully.

Derek's jaw twitches, but he doesn't retaliate. Besides, he doesn't need too. Ashlyn's in his bed, not Andrew's. Ashlyn's kissing him, not Andrew. "Have a good night." Derek forces out, wanting nothing more than to wrap his hands around Andrew's throat.

"Yeah. You as well." Andrew says condescendingly.

They exchange pleasantries, but they're anything but pleasant. Derek shuts his door, and Andrew goes back downstairs. Derek slips back into bed beside Ashlyn.

"Hmm?" She stirs sleepily. "Der'k?" She mumbles, her eyes opening a slither, looking for him.

"I'm here." He tells her.

"Wher'?" She asks, reaching out for him. "'m cold."

He looks at her with soft eyes, rolling the girl over to face him. "Right here." He says, pulling her close.

When Ashlyn feels his warmth, she tucks close to him, resting her head against his chest.

"Warm?" He asks her.

"Mmm hmm." She nods, her eyes slipping closed again, half-asleep.

"Go back to sleep." He says, brushing her hair out of her face.

But Ashlyn seconds away from being asleep again anyway.

.

Jessie wakes up when she hears… She isn't even sure what she hears. It's almost as if something's _climbing_ up the side of the house, under her window. She gets out of bed with a yawn, rubbing her eyes. She goes over to the window, opening it. She peeks out, thinking maybe Stiles was missing staying here and had come back with Scott, but that isn't what she sees at all.

"Derek…"

Derek stirs when he hears his name. He stretches a little, and Ashlyn hums, tucking her face back into the cozy little knok of his neck. He rubs her back gently, not wanting the girl to wake up because she definitely needs some rest.

But Jessie comes darting in, flinging the door open. "Derek! Something is outside. I think it's the…" Her voice escapes her when the hallway light reveals he isn't in bed alone.

With the urgency, Derek slips out of bed, leaving Ashlyn in there alone. "What is it?" Derek asks her quietly, trying to keep Ashlyn asleep.

"Uh…" Jessie almost loses her train of thought. "The Hellhound. I think it's the Hellhound. I saw red eyes." She tells him, lowering her voice too.

"Where?" Derek asks, not missing a beat.

"Outside my window." She says.

"Stay in here until I've checked it out." He directs, moving for her room swiftly.

"Um…" But Jessie still can't grasp the fact that _Ashlyn is asleep in his bed_.

Derek stops, glancing back at her. "Wait in the hallway." He changes his mind.

Jessie nods, leaving the room and shutting the door quietly as Derek races into her bedroom.

Derek goes straight to her window, and it's already open, but he sees nothing. He inhales, and sure enough, he smells it, but it's long gone. Derek doesn't understand, it's had no trouble attacking them, especially him, before, so why would it take off? Is it playing with them? Derek shuts her window, frowning. This thing has come to his home… Now it's _very_ personal for him too.

Jessie looks up when Derek comes back into the hall. "Did you see it?" She asks him.

Derek shakes his head. "It's gone. But it was definitely here."

"Derek… What now?" She asks him. "It knows where we live... That doesn't exactly spell safe to me."

"You'll be safe as long as I'm here, all right?" He assures her of that very quick.

Jessie looks in his eyes and she sees he truly believes that, so she nods. "Okay."

"I'll figure the rest of it out…when I can." He says. "I don't know. But I'll figure something out, okay?"

Jessie nods. "Okay. But for tonight…I don't want to sleep in there by myself." She admits quietly, a little embarrassed. She's seen what the Hellhound can do, she doesn't want it to corner her while she's alone. "It knows that's my room, I… I don't' know. I just don't want to sleep in there." She says.

Derek looks over at his room door, then back at his sister. "Take Ashlyn's room for tonight. We'll sort something else out tomorrow." He says to her.

"But Ashlyn's in there…" Jessie trails off again, because she most certainly isn't in there. "Um…never mind. Thanks." She says, and tries to escape before things get too awkward.

"Jessie." Derek says.

She stops.

"Jess?" He says.

She turns around now. "…yeah?"

"About Ashlyn being in there-"

"You don't need to explain." Jessie stops him.

"I know, just… I care about her." He tells his younger sister.

"I can, uh, see that." Jessie says, glancing at his room door, then back at him. "Why so secretive?" She finds herself asking him.

Derek shakes his head. "Wasn't planned to be that way. Wasn't really planned at all. Things just…changed." He tells her.

She nods slowly, she can understand that, her and Stiles are the same. But Derek doesn't know about that. "What about Andrew?" Jessie asks him.

In Derek's room, Ashlyn lays now awake in his bed, hearing what they're saying.

"He has a thing for her, Derek, we can all see it." Jessie says.

"Andrew's gonna have to learn his place, and back off if he wants to be here any longer." Derek says. "He's not taking her away from me- _us_." He quickly corrects himself. "He's not taking her away from us." He says again.

Jessie pretends not to notice the slip-up. "Fair enough." She nods. "Just make sure she feels the same way, that's all I'm gonna say about it, otherwise…I'm happy that you're happy." She says honestly.

Derek gives her a nod.

"I'll take Ashlyn's room. Goodnight." Jessie says.

"Goodnight." Derek says, and Jessie walks down the hall. Derek stands in the hallway for a few moments, before he goes back into the bedroom. He gets back into bed, finding Ashlyn's facing the wall now. He doesn't disturb her though, he just rests his arm over her waist, getting comfortable behind her, his sister's little piece of advice ringing in his ears. And Ashlyn keeps her breathing as even as she can, so he doesn't realize she's awake, as she thinks about some of her own things.

.

.

 _Monday 6_ _th_ _June – The Next Morning_

When Andrew comes into the kitchen, the teenagers are getting ready to leave for school, except Jessie, she's sleeping in. The boys came over earlier, so they can all walk to school together because they're more worried than ever after _another_ animal attack yesterday. No one wakes Jessie though, Stiles warns them not too. He knows she was up late, worrying and fretting as she does, and she'll just ask Derek for a ride to school later.

But when they see Andrew, the boys turn their heads, ignoring him, talking amongst themselves. Danny's more understanding, so she approaches Andrew. "Want some coffee?" Danny asks him.

Isaac looks over at them, narrowing his eyes when he hears Danny's voice. He doesn't like or trust the guy, he doesn't really want him around his girlfriend either.

"I'd better get it myself." Andrew says, because he can see Isaac's glaring from the corner of his eye.

"Alright." Danny nods. "Let's go then." She says, looking over at the boys.

Isaac brings his arm around Danny's shoulders, shooting Andrew a 'back off' look, even if it isn't exactly necessary. Scott leads them out, the beta blossoming into a leader more and more every day.

Andrew finds himself left alone. He goes over to the coffee pot, pouring a cup as Derek already made a fresh pot this morning. He sits down at the dining table, and begins to sip away. It doesn't take long for him to hear other footsteps. He looks over at the doorway, and Ashlyn comes in, holding Tyson's hand. "Good morning." He says.

"Hi." Tyson waves at him, climbing up onto a chair.

"Morning." Ashlyn says, touching his arm in greeting as she passes him, going into the fridge. "Yogurt pot all right for breakfast, sweetheart?" She asks, peeking at Tyson.

"Yes. Banana, please." Tyson nods.

"Good boy." Ashlyn smile sleepily, taking a banana yogurt pot out of the fridge. She pushes it closed with her elbow and gets a spoon from the drawer before taking it to Tyson, pulling the top back for him. "Here, eat up."

"T'anks." Tyson says, taking the spoon and digging in right away.

Ashlyn takes the lid and puts it in the bin before she goes over to the coffee pot, pouring herself a mug. She goes and sits down between Tyson and Andrew at the table, bringing her mug to her lips.

"You look tired." Andrew observes.

"Hmm. A little." Ashlyn says, setting her mug back down on the wood and rubbing her eyes.

"I'm not surprised, you did spend the night with Derek." He says.

Her eyes widen a little and she looks right at Andrew. She glances at Tyson, but he's too caught up with his yogurt to have heard that. "Um… We're not having this conversation here." She says, trying to sway away from the subject.

"You slept with him-"

"I shared his bed, I didn't _sleep_ with him." She quickly corrects her, keeping her voice quiet.

"Did you touch him last night?" Andrew asks, lowering his voice too.

"Andrew!" She snaps in a hushed whisper.

"Did he touch you?" Andrew asks her.

"Andrew-"

"Yes or no, did he touch your-"

"Andrew, that is _enough_! It's not your business!"

" _Bullshit_ it's not my business! I have feelings for you, and I know you still have feelings for me, so I wanna know what's going on with you and Derek, and how serious your little fling is-"

"That isn't your business because I _don't_ have feelings for you!" Ashlyn snaps.

Jessie drops her workbook on the kitchen counter deliberately loud so she gets their attention, both of their heads snapping in her direction. "What's going on here?" She asks, looking between them.

Ashlyn looks at her, and her messy bed-head hair. "Nothing. It's…nothing." She answers quickly, because she doesn't want to drag Jessie into hers and Andrew's crap.

"Nothing? That's what you call n-" Andrew tries.

"Enough-" Ashlyn says again.

"You're f-"

"I said _enough_!" Ashlyn snaps at full volume, her eyes lighting up green as she slams her hand down on the table so loud that Jessie jumps.

It scares Tyson, who's sitting across from them, too. His eyebrows drop and his bottom lip starts to quiver. It takes a few more silent seconds for him to begin crying.

Ashlyn turns to him, her anger draining away. "Oh, sweetheart-"

But Tyson just jumps off the chair and runs out of the room.

Ashlyn goes after him immediately, only to see the toddler jump into Derek's arms the second the Alpha walks in the front door.

"Tyson, what happened?" Derek asks him, a frown darkening his face.

"Ash-Ash g-got mad and-and yelled and-and it was sc-scary." He cries, hiding his face in Derek's neck, holding onto him tightly.

"I didn't mean too." Ashlyn defends immediately, when Derek looks at her.

"He's terrified, Ashlyn. What'd you do?" Derek asks her, and it makes her stomach do flips because he almost sounds disappointed.

"It was aimed at Andrew, Tyson was in the room, it was a misunderstanding." She justifies. "Ty?" She tries.

"No." The toddler shakes his head and hugs Derek tighter. And it makes her feel terrible, because she didn't mean to scare him, of course she didn't.

"Give me a minute to calm him down." Derek suggests.

She knows he's right, so she reluctantly nods.

"Then you can tell me why Andrew needed to be yelled at." Derek frowns, thinking of all the possibilities, especially after their run-in last night. Derek starts to wander away, trying to comfort Tyson.

Ashlyn hears the man's name and she storms back into the kitchen.

Jessie's getting her school lunch together now, but she looks up when Ashlyn comes back in, and she sees Ashlyn sets Andrew in her sights, her eyes lighting up an angry green. "Ashlyn, wait-" She tries, seeing where this is heading.

But Ashlyn growls at Andrew.

And she gets an instant reaction, his head snapping up and he growls back, his eyes turning green too as he stands up.

"Derek!" Jessie calls out, unsure what to do.

But Ashlyn's faster, she grabs Andrew, shoving him back with an angry snarl.

Andrew finds his footing quickly, snapping his fangs at her.

But before anything else can happen, a much louder almighty roar fills the room, forcing both betas to back down.

Ashlyn looks over towards the sound, angry she was forced to bow her head, but she pauses. She sees it was Derek who ordered them to back down. And Jessie's holding Tyson now, covering his ears, and the toddler's eyes are squeezed shut. Tyson grew up in a jaguar pack so he understands what just happened.

"Enough." Derek orders calmly, eyes still blazing Alpha red. "What the hell is going on-"

But Ashlyn bursts out of her clothes, dropping down to four paws. Her tail swishes from side to side aggressively.

Derek looks at the jaguar, they haven't seen her in this form for a while, she's come to trust them, so she was comfortable being human around them. "Ashlyn…" He says. "Ash?"

The jaguar looks at Andrew, baring her fangs.

And he's triggered, he drops onto 4 paws as well.

Now the Hale siblings have an upset toddler and two angry jaguars to deal with.

"Andrew." Derek says. "Andrew!" He raises his voice when Andrew ignore shim.

Andrew growls at the Alpha, and it angers Ashlyn. Ashlyn snarls at Andrew, snarling her fangs at him in Derek's defense.

"Stop it. Stop it! Bad Puddy Tats!" Tyson cries, pointing at them. "Bad Puddy Tats!"

Ashlyn looks at Tyson, and sees how upset he is.

Andrew looks at Tyson too, and he feels the guilt as well.

Ashlyn's tail swings lowly, and she hangs her head. She lets out a whine, looking at Tyson from under her lashes.

Derek and Jessie share a look, because did Tyson, _a toddler_ , just stop them from fighting? Does the boy really have that much of a connection with them both? It's kind of amazing.

"What's going on?" Derek asks the two jaguars again, even though he won't get a real answer because they're, well…jaguars.

Ashlyn huffs out a breath, glances Andrew's way, then trots over to Jessie and Tyson. She paws at Jessie's knee, pushing her head against Tyson's butt.

Jessie looks at Derek, and Derek nods, allowing it, so Jessie places Tyson back down on the floor.

Ashlyn goes to pick Tyson up in her mouth, but the toddler just races back over to Derek, hugging his legs, hiding his face in them. Ashlyn meets Derek's eyes with a look similar to betrayal, before she turns on her paws, and walks out of the house, going outside and down the back steps.

Derek watches her, but he doesn't bother to stop her, he just rests his hand on Tyson's back, so the toddler knows he's right here. Derek looks at Andrew, his eyebrows drawn down. "What are you doing, Andrew?" He asks the feline, and it really is a genuine question with an unknown answer. Derek knows Andrew cares about Ashlyn, Andrew's said it more than once, so why Andrew would cause her any kind of upset doesn't make sense to Derek.

Jessie looks between her brother and the other jaguar, because the silence just stretches on. "Maybe we should take Tyson upstairs." Jessie suggests, her eyes settling on Derek.

Derek looks away from Andrew, looking at Jessie. He nods in agreement. But his eyes betray them, and they wander out to where Ashlyn just left.

"No." Jessie stops him before he can even try. "Give her some space." She says.

Derek's eyes fall to Tyson and he nods again, slower this time. "C'mon, Ty." Derek says, showing Tyson to the stairs. He, Tyson and Jessie take to the stairs together. Derek looks over his shoulder at Andrew. "You should go away for awhile." He tells the jaguar, before disappearing out of Andrew's sight with the other two.

.

 _That Night_

With no return of Andrew or Ashlyn, Jessie can see her brother's getting a little antsy. And she knows it's almost completely got to do with the absence of the latter.

"She's gonna come back, Derek."

Derek glances to his left, finding his sister's come into the living room to check in with him, _again_. Derek just looks out the window again, noticing how the sun is tucked away for another day and the moon is high in the sky.

"Tyson's here, she'll be back." Jessie says, trying to make him feel better. "And… You're here, she'll come back to you."

Derek's eyes drop to his boots again, because he isn't so sure about the second one this time. Of course she'll be back for Tyson, but him? Maybe not. She looked very hurt when Tyson chose to go to him instead of her. That can't have felt good on Ashlyn's end. "It's dark. She shouldn't be out there." Derek speaks now, a frown on his face as he thinks of all the murders.

"I know." Jessie agrees, because she's been thinking that too. "But she's smart, she knows what she's doing."

"Hmm." Is all Derek gives as a reply.

"Maybe you should get some sleep, it's getting late." Jessie suggests.

Derek turns to her now. "I'm going to check on Tyson." He says.

"I just came from there, he's okay, he's asleep I think." Jessie tells him, but Derek still goes upstairs, heading towards the boy's room. Jessie just sighs and sits down on the arm of the sofa, rubbing her hands down her face.

Derek pushes open the slightly ajar bedroom door, but stops, seeing there's someone else already in here.

Ashlyn's head snaps up, spotting Derek.

He looks at the oversized shirt she's wearing, which she obviously stole to cover her body once she shifted back. "Where were you?" He asks her.

Ashlyn looks away from him, looking down at a sleeping Tyson. She was supposed to slip in to check on her boy and then back out again, _without anyone seeing her_. That's what she gets for not tiptoeing. "I'm just checking in on him, then I'm going again." She tells him.

"He's fine. Of course he's fine." Derek says.

"Good." Ashlyn says. She caresses Tyson's cheek gently then heads back towards the window.

But the Alpha's faster, blocking her path.

"Move." Ashlyn says, her face screwing up.

"Where are you going to go? It isn't safe out there at this time of night, you know that." Derek says.

"Get out of my way." Is all Ashlyn says.

"No." Derek says without missing a beat, not once breaking eye contact with her. "I'm your Alpha. You'll stay here." He says, because it seems she isn't in any mood to negotiate.

"Don't talk to me like I'm a child." She says.

"Then don't act like a child." He says. He sees her clench her teeth and her jaw pulse a little. "You want to be mad, then be mad, but be mad here, it's too dangerous for you to be out there." He says. He moves away from the window slowly, watching her for movement. "We won't bother you." He tells her, then goes over to Tyson, checking in on him even though Ashlyn just did.

Ashlyn doesn't move for the window, she stops, and she thinks. She looks at Tyson, then at Derek, then back at Tyson. "I… I'm staying in here with Tyson." She says.

Derek looks back over at her. "Fine." He says. He glances at Tyson once more, then moves for the door. He stops, looking back at Ashlyn. "I'm glad you came back." He says, then he walks out, pulling the door closed behind him.

Ashlyn can admit she's tired, so she just turns the light out and gets into bed with Tyson, hoping that he won't wake up and not want to be near her again. But sleep doesn't find the she-jaguar easily, of course not, and she finds she's up for the better part of the night, and any sleep she does get isn't all too good either.

.

.

 **Little bit of tension, a few problems here and there. What will be next for the Hale pack?**

 **Favorite! Follow! Review!**


	20. Chapter 20

**So sorry you've had to wait so long! Things are going to get dramatic though!**

 ***Hawk-eye-33: Thank you (: Hmmm, I wonder… Thank you so much, that was really nice of you to say (:**

 ***RK 2341: Hehe, we have an Andrew hater over here, and I'd say you're not the only one :P UPDATE IS HERE!**

 ***channingsandoval: Thank you, and yes! Update had arrived!**

 **.**

 _Tuesday 7_ _th_ _June – The Next Morning_

Derek gets an unexpected call in the morning, from a person he didn't think he'd hear from again, not after the loft fire. He presses answer and brings it to his ear. "Where are they?" Derek asks.

"Kate and Zak are MIA." Chris tells him. "I searched, I don't know where they are."

"Of course you don't."

"Derek, I would never agree to let them do what they did to your home." Chris says.

"Which home are you talking about? My loft complex, or my family's home?" Derek asks angrily.

"Now, Derek… You know I had nothing to do with what happened to your family-"

"You're full of shit." Derek cuts him off. "They burnt down my loft, almost killed my pack, and now I'm certain you burnt down my house, with my family inside." He growls.

"I'm giving you my word, Derek. I had _nothing_ to do with what happened to your family."

"You remember them?" Derek asks him. "Because I do. Every day. My Uncle. My Mom. My Dad. Laura. C… Cora." He grounds out.

"Derek-"

"When I find them, they're dead. And when I find the rest of you, I'm going to kill you too." He says before he hangs up. The Alpha puts his phone down on the bedside table, taking a deep breath to calm himself, because realistically, there's nothing he can do right this second. He still doesn't know where the hunters are hiding out and they've been very smart about hiding their scents as well, as hunters will be, especially when there are angry werewolves on their tails.

"Kill them?"

Derek looks to his side, finding a pair of blue eyes looking at his face. Ashlyn looks back at him, now very obviously awake and now in his bedroom as well. Seems she's sneakier than he gives her credit for, or maybe he wasn't paying enough attention. "I didn't know you were up." Is all he says, getting out of bed.

She watches him, sees the tension in his shoulders. She's still angry about yesterday, but she can't let slide what she just heard him say. "Derek?"

But the Alpha just goes into the bathroom. He shuts the door, leaving Ashlyn alone in his bedroom. She hears the shower come on, and she knows that's his way of putting space between them, hoping she won't ask anymore questions about what she just heard. But it isn't that simple, especially not with someone like Ashlyn.

So, she just leans against the door frame again. But instead of leaving, she waits.

And when the Alpha comes out, a towel wrapped around his waist, he really does expect an empty room, because he certainly took his sweet time. But he finds her still in the same place, and by the annoyed look on her face, she agrees that he took his time too.

She looks up at him and their eyes lock. Derek knows he can't really avoid this conversation. So, he tries to change the subject. "I thought you were mad at me." He states, looking in his drawers for some clothes.

"I am." She agrees.

"Then what do you want? Why are you here?" He asks, glancing at her for a moment before looking back into his drawers.

"I want to know what you're planning to do-"

"Nothing that concerns you." He cuts her off, harsher than necessary. Ashlyn burns holes into his head with her glare, and it makes him turn to her. "What do you want me to say then?" He asks her.

"The truth." Ashlyn says. "I understand that Jessie, and I'm now guessing you as well, firmly believe that Kate and Zak had something to do with the fire at the loft complex, and I think I believe that too-"

"You _think_." Derek repeats.

"I don't have proof." She says. "But I know someone wanted people to get hurt, because the alarm was disabled. And why would someone kill so many innocent people? It wasn't the Hell-hound this time, that thing tears people to pieces, it doesn't sneak, not like that." She explains.

"How does that not make it Zak or Kate then?" Derek asks her, his built up anger clear in the tone of his voice.

"I never said they were innocent." Ashlyn says. "But I really think you're letting your frustrations get to your head, especially when I heard you promise Chris you would kill all the hunters, even if you don't know if they've done something wrong." She explains. "And I think what happened yesterday is messing with your head a little bit too."

"My frustrations…" He repeats her words again, but slowly this time, like he's trying to think of what he's supposed to do with them. "Are you my shrink now?"

Ashlyn exhales out her nose slowly. Now he's definitely letting his frustrations go to his head, because he's getting lippy with her. "Even if I'm mad at you, we still live together, I just want to help where I can-"

"You sound like a shrink." He says. "And I don't need one."

She isn't sure what it is, but his words hit her quite hard. It's like he's not talking about a 'shrink' at all, maybe he's talking about her, in general. But she doesn't walk away that easy, and she knows Derek's… _difficult_. She knows because she's _difficult_ too. "You know… I watched how crushing the Alpha role is when my sister and her husband were Alphas. No, I don't understand personally, but I do know enough. And I know that you're worried about the Hell-hound, about the people dying, and about the hunters." She says, keeping a calm manner, because she does care for the man and she does want to help him and the pack, even if he 'doesn't need it' and even if she has her own frustrations that are aimed at him too.

Derek looks over at the wall, not wanting to agree out-loud, but he doesn't need too, they both know, they _all_ know.

"And having another person here probably isn't helping either." She says. "I don't know why he acted out yesterday, but I still think that deep down he wants to help-" She tries to make him feel better, but only does the opposite.

Derek hears his name, and he just snaps. "You know what? You keep saying those things, that he's here to help, that he wants to protect you, but all he's _really_ done is cause trouble. All he's _really_ done is step on _everyone's_ toes. All he's _really_ done is-"

"Derek-"

"-follow you around like a love-sick _feline_."

It falls quiet.

"What? You didn't know?" Derek asks her, but there's a sarcastic twang to his voice, and Ashlyn knows there's a big chance this is going to turn into an argument. "It's obvious, Ashlyn, everyone else can clearly see it." He says.

Ashlyn shakes her head, looking into her lap. She didn't stay to argue, she didn't stay to talk about Andrew, she stayed to help him make a better decision that doesn't end up getting more people killed. And from yesterday and how Andrew reacted to all that, she's sure Andrew has strong feelings for her.

But Derek's on a roll now, and he's letting some of those _frustrations_ out. "The guy's in love with you." Derek says.

Ashlyn won't look at him.

"You don't believe me?"

"Stop it." She says, looking up at him now.

"Why do you think me and him bump heads so much, huh?" Derek asks her, his voice getting louder. "He wants you, he wants to take you away-"

"Derek… I said, stop." She says.

"Maybe you want to go with him then?" He says. The Alpha's pacing the length of the room now, his face has grown a little red because he's getting mad. You'd think with him in a towel he'd look silly, but he just looks annoyed and…and… _frustrated_. "You kept saying you'd do it, that you'd up and leave us, that you'd leave with him if it came down to it."

Ashlyn glances over to Derek's door, because she knows other people in the house are awake, but now she hears footsteps quietly getting closer. Someone is trying to get a good listen. "Derek." She says, looking at the man again, her face the picture of warning.

"Why didn't you just take him and leave?" Derek asks her, the anger dropping from his voice, because that's the real question. Why is she still here? Why hasn't she taken off yet?

"You know why." Ashlyn says.

"I don't." He says.

"I'm not doing this with you." She shakes her head, getting off his bed. "You're being a jackass, _again_." She says, opening his bedroom door and walking out, slamming it behind her. And just as she thought, the teenagers are all looking at her. "What?" She asks them sharply, flashing green eyes at them, causing them to look away.

.

 _That Evening_

Jessie looks up when the front door opens, but it's Andrew that walks in, not Ashlyn like she was hoping. "Hey." She looks at him. "We don't know where Derek, Ashlyn or Tyson are. Do you have any idea?" She asks him.

Andrew glances at her, but keeps walking, ignoring her.

"Hey, I asked you a question." She frowns, standing up. She follows him, jogging to catch up with him. She gets in front of him, putting her hands to his chest so he'll stop. "Where is-"

It happens _so_ fast. Andrew pushes the girl, _Derek_ 's sister, up against the wall. "Don't ever touch me again." He warns her, flashing green eyes.

"Get off me." Jessie tries to sound strong, but her heart's racing. She never expected that. But Andrew's hurting, and he's nasty.

Andrew glares at her for a moment longer before he backs up, getting out of her personal space. He walks away from her, going into the living room.

Jessie breathes raggedly, her heart pounding in her throat. She looks at her arm, finding his fingers have marked light bruises into her skin from the force of the shove. She pulls her sleeve down, hiding it. And for once, she feels scared in her own home, and scared of someone living in her home.

.

 _That Night_

Derek pulls his leather jacket on, and leaves his bedroom. He picks his car keys up off the kitchen counter. "Where are you going?" Isaac asks, seeing the Alpha on his way out.

"It's dark, and Ashlyn's not back. I gotta find her." Derek says. After their argument, and after Ashlyn walked out of his bedroom in anger, she took Tyson and she left to cool off.

"Did you ask Andrew-"

"Trust me, Isaac. There's no point in that. I'll only be wasting my time." Derek stops him. "Tell Scott he's in charge until I get back." Derek says, opening the door.

"Derek, hold on." Isaac says. "Jessie's been locked in her room awhile. I don't know what's going on. She seems upset. Doesn't want any of us in there."

"She's having a 'moment'." Derek says, because he remembers how not too long ago she slammed him with the 'it's my time of the month'. "Leave her, I'll check in with her when I'm back." Derek says. He walks out the door, but stops, turning back around to face Isaac, who looks all kinds of concerned. "If you're really worried, slip some chocolate under her door. I'm sure you know which is her favorite." He says, then he closes the front door and walks out into the rain.

The Alpha knows she isn't stupid enough to take Tyson into the woods when it's wet and dark, because that's far too dangerous given the Hell-hound's still out there. So, he heads off in the other direction, towards town. He puts his nose to the wind and inhales, trying to pull her scent out from all the other smells, but it's hard with the rain coming down, and it's only going to get worse.

"Ash?"

Ashlyn looks to her left, looking at where Tyson's curled up on the bed. "Yeah?" She reaches over, brushing his hair out of his face.

"When are we goin' home?" He asks her, his tired eyes locking with hers. "I wan' go home to De'ick's."

"I… I don't know, sweetheart." Ashlyn says. "We're gonna stay here for now, so why don't you get some rest? C'mon, try and get some sleep." She says to him, laying down beside him on the familiar bed. She tucks her hoodie further around him, as there are no blankets. "Sleep now." She says quietly.

Tyson's eyes slowly slip closed the more she brushes her hand through his hair soothingly, until he's eventually asleep.

Derek finds himself in a familiar part of town, but he can't put his finger on it just yet. He continues to follow Ashlyn's faint scent through the rain, not caring that his hair's soaked, as are his clothes. At least he knows his jacket will dry out easily. The closer he gets, the more he starts to realize. Until he's standing outside the house and it clicks. He sighs softly, because he should have known. She has nowhere to go, they're all those two have. So, where do they go? Back to the rental house they were all temporarily staying in.

Ashlyn must have dozed off, because a creaking in the house makes her eyes snap open. She rubs them, sitting up. She checks on Tyson, he's still curled up with her hoodie, sleeping. She hears the sound again, and she's on instant alert, scanning the room. She gets off the bed slowly, being as quiet as she can.

Someone's in the house.

She inhales.

No, scrap that.

 _Something's_ in the house.

She tiptoes around, the house dark, and she's keeping it that way, to stay hidden. She needs some time on her own. She steps into the kitchen doorway and falls still. Red eyes blink at her in the darkness. "Derek?" She says. "How did you find me?"

But it isn't a voice that replies, it's a deep growl, and it comes forward. She sees it's massive figure in the moon's light.

Her eyes widen, and she turns to run, to get to Tyson, but the second she moves, she's taken off her feet. She tries to fight as she's dragged away from the Hellhound lurking in the kitchen.

"Shhh, shhh, shhh." Derek hushes her, his hand over her mouth. He hears the Hellhound coming their way.

"Wait! Tyson." Ashlyn manages to get her mouth clear and speak.

Derek stops. "Go, get upstairs, I'll get him-" He says in a hushed voice.

"No-"

"Yes, go." He pushes her towards the stairs, giving her a pleading look. "Go, _now_." Their only exit is blocked, and he knows they won't survive trying to go through the Hell-hound, they need to be smart.

She flares her nostrils angrily, but listens, racing up the stairs as quietly as she can. She can see now that coming to a bunch of rental homes where barely any of them have been rented out yet was a bad idea. Because, yes, she was alone, but she was _too_ alone. She just made herself and Tyson an easy target for the Hellhound.

Derek hurries into the bedroom, finding the boy on the bed. He scoops Tyson up, like he did in the fire, and he heads for the stairs. He moves as fast but also as quiet as he can, because he can hear the Hellhound right on his tail. At least the pouring rain is making it harder for the Hellhound to hear and smell them, as they aren't exactly all that aquatinted. And that's probably Derek and Ashlyn's only advantage.

Ashlyn looks at the bathroom door nervously, worrying. But she hears agile footsteps, and she smells the two scents she's come to know best. She opens the door in time for Derek to come in, and shuts it before he can tell her too. She clicks the lock as well, just in case. But she knows that won't save them.

"Give him to me." Ashlyn says. Derek puts Tyson into her arms and the boy hugs her tightly, scared. "Shhh, you gotta be quiet, Ty. Shhh." She soothes him, holding him close to her chest as she feels him start to quiver in fear.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Derek asks quietly, crouching beside her, taking her face into his hands. "Did it hurt you?"

Ashlyn shakes her head. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. This is my fault." She whispers, tears welling up in her eyes, because they can hear the Hellhound making it's way upstairs.

"It's not your fault, it's mine." He says. "I never should have let you walk out of the house." He says. "You need to trust me right now, okay?"

"Derek?"

"Go out the window. I'm gonna hold it off-"

"No. _No_. It'll kill you-"

"Doesn't matter, get Tyson and go-"

"I'm not leaving you-"

"You have no choice."

But their argument is short-lived when they hear a gunshot. The heavy footsteps go racing back downstairs and then gunfire fills the air.

"C'mon, go. Go. Go!" Derek says, grabbing her hand, dragging her to her feet and out of the bathroom. With the distraction, they might be able to out-run the Hellhound.

They fly out of the house, and immediately see what the commotion is.

"Go! Get out of here!" Chris yells to them.

Derek looks at the man, and he has all his hunters with him, _except Kate and Zak_. They're shooting at the Hellhound with automatics. And much to Derek's surprise, it is actually slowing it down. Right now, Derek's promise to Chris means nothing, he has to get Ashlyn and especially Tyson to safety. "C'mon." he says, threading his fingers through hers so they can't separate. The two adults run back towards the house, Tyson clinging to Ashlyn tightly, tears streaming down both his cheeks.

They run as fast as they can for as long as they can, until their legs burn, until they're panting, both their hearts racing. But they're far enough away, so they slow down to a stop, both catching their breath. Tyson's heaving now, crying loudly, scared out of his mind. Ashlyn looks at him, heart-broken, and she feels all kinds of guilty.

Derek sees her face and he brushes his thumb over her cheek, wiping away a tear that slips loose. He rests his forehead against hers, guiding her forward by his hand on the nape of her neck. He puts his other hand on Tyson's back and gently rubs soothing circles. "You're safe now." He tells her, because the girl's trying her hardest not to break and cry, but she's just as scared as Tyson is. "Hey. You're safe now." He says again. "I've got you."

She just nods, unable to get any words out, too much fear and adrenaline pumping through her, and she's almost heaving trying to catch her breath.

"Chris will handle it, let's just go home." Derek says.

She swallows to wet her throat so she can speak. "But… B-But, you and Chris-"

"Don't you worry about that." He says.

"The… The Hell-hound, it… It went after Andrew again, wh-what if it-it comes after us again-"

"No." Derek shakes his head. "I'm not gonna let it hurt you. I promise." He swears. "Now, c'mon. Let's go." He says, because he doesn't want to hear anymore of that talk. He hates to see her so scared. He takes her hand again, and they start moving.

.

"Oh, thank God." Scott says, seeing Derek come in the house with Ashlyn. Tyson's practically balling now, muffled because he's hiding his face in Ashlyn's shirt. "Chris called, told us what happened-"

"Not now, Scott." Derek says. He walks through the teenagers, Ashlyn holding onto the sleeve of his jacket with her head down, Tyson glued to her.

The others know when to leave Derek alone. But then there's Andrew. "Hey." As soon as he smells Ashlyn, he spots her, and he races over to her. "I was worried about you, where were-" He tries to takes her hand, because despite their fight, he does have feelings for her and he does care, and she yanks it away from him, and she refuses to look at him. Andrew frowns and reaches out again.

"Don't." Derek says to him, shaking his head.

Andrew narrows his eyes. "What did you do to her?"

Ashlyn pulls herself away from Derek, and Tyson starts to _scream_. He reaches out for Derek, his cheeks bright red and blotchy. But Ashlyn just hides his face in her neck and races off upstairs, getting away from everyone.

Andrew looks like he might follow, so Derek grabs his arm. "I said, don't, you've caused enough trouble already-"

And like with Jessie, Andrew shoves Derek up against the wall.

"Hey! No!" Isaac barks, coming forward, coming to protect his Alpha.

But Derek's an Alpha, he's stronger, and he's in _no_ mood to put up with or pretend to be able to ignore Andrew's crap right now. So, he grabs Andrew's shirt and shoves him back, throwing the man away from him, sending him into the dining room table with a loud smack.

"Stop it! Stop!" Scott gets between the two, holding his hands up. Andrew gets back up, looking as pissed off as Derek is. "That's enough." Scott says, looking between them.

Derek inches forward, and much to everyone's surprise, it's Danny that wraps her hands around his forearm. "Please, don't." She says, looking up at him.

Derek exhales sharply out his nose, glaring at Andrew. But his eyes betray him, and they fall to Danny. He knows his eyes are glowing red because he sees in an infrared fashion.

"You should go upstairs and make sure Ashlyn and Tyson aren't hurt or anything." Danny says to him, even though Derek's already briefly done so, and they all know he definitely would have already done that. "We'll deal with this."

"By 'this', you mean me-" Andrew starts, and Derek's head snaps back to him.

But it's what happens next that's the surprising part. "Shut the hell up!" Danny snaps at him. "Either spend your nights running from that Hell-hound or shut your mouth and you can stay here." She says. She can feel them all looking at her with varying degrees of shock. But she looks back up at Derek. "Go on." She says, her voice soft again.

Derek nods slowly. "Can you check on Jessie then?" He asks her.

"I tried. I think she's been asleep most the day." Danny says. "It's late, I don't want to wake her. Maybe a good sleep will help her feel better tomorrow?"

Andrew looks at his shoes, because of course _he_ knows why Jessie hasn't been around.

"Go on." Danny says, slowly letting Derek's arm go.

"Shhh." Ashlyn tries to hush Tyson. She put him in his bed, but he's fighting her every step of the way. There's only one thing he wants.

"De'ick! De'ick!" He cries.

Tears slip down Ashlyn's cheeks, because she can't calm or soothe him in any way and it's heartbreaking. She hears the door open, so she looks up, ready to tell them to get the hell away from her, but she sees it's Derek.

He shuts the door and quickly moves over to them. Tyson cries for him, reaching out for him, so he takes the toddler into his arms. And instantly, Tyson hugs around his neck tightly, and he just cries into Derek's jacket.

"I c-can't get him to stop." She says.

Derek looks at her, then looks at Tyson. "Hey, you're safe now. I'm here, I'm not going to let anything happen to you, okay?" He tells Tyson. "I need you to try and calm down, because you're scaring your Aunt. Can you try that for me, bud?"

Tyson doesn't say anything, but he does nod, still holding onto Derek tightly.

"Get in bed." Derek says, looking over at Ashlyn.

"I'm staying with him tonight." Ashlyn says, her voice drained and quieter than it should be.

"I know." Derek nods. "But get in bed."

She nods, and she gets into Tyson's bed. Derek's doesn't ask or give an indicator. He just flicks off the light and moves to the other side of the bed. He gets in beside Ashlyn, and shimmies his jacket off without disturbing Tyson. They're all wet from the rain, but none of them care.

"C'mere." He says, looking at Ashlyn. And she doesn't hesitate, she comes forward, coming right into Derek's embrace. "Get some sleep. I'm here, no one will hurt either of you." He tells her.

She nods, resting her forehead against his. "Derek?" She whispers so quietly he almost doesn't hear her.

"Yeah?" He says, looking at her.

She slowly leans in more, their noses touching. She gently presses her lips to his, the faintest kiss. She pulls back just a little, so she can meet his eyes. She sees no sign of objection in his eyes. "Are you okay with that?" She asks anyway, in a very quiet voice.

Derek nods. "I'm okay with that."

Ashlyn takes that as a good sign, and she moves closer to him, putting her arm around Tyson as well. Derek brings the arm that isn't around Tyson around her, holding the both of them close to him, keeping them safe.

.

.

 _Wednesday 8_ _th_ _June – The Next Morning_

The Alpha wakes, his eyes slowly opening. He blinks a few times, taking in his surroundings. Tyson has migrated from holding onto his neck for dear life, to lying in the embrace of his Aunt, curling up under her chin. Derek leans up on propped elbows, looking down at them, so he can see Ashlyn's face. She has frown lines, even while she's sleeping, and it makes Derek frown too. He rolls onto his stomach and leans down, pressing a kiss to Ashlyn's hair.

The contact makes her wake now too. "Huh?" She says softly, her eyes opening.

"It's just me." He tells her, in case she has any panic about being cuddled and kissed after what happened last night. He's never seen Ashlyn scared like that before, aside from the fire. And he _never_ wants to see the fear she held in her eyes during the fire ever again. "How're you feeling this morning?" He asks her, tucking her bed-head behind her ear so it's out of her face.

Ashlyn rolls onto her back, looking up at him, allowing Tyson to curl up beside her ribs now.

Derek waits for an answer, but all he gets is an unsure shrug. He exhales out his nose, not very comforted by her reply. "It's going to be okay. I promise, we'll protect you, that won't ever happen again."

"It was my fault." She says.

"No, it wasn't." He shakes his head. "Wrong place, wrong time, it could have happened to anyone." He says. "Okay?"

She doesn't answer.

"Ashlyn, I… I'm sorry." He apologises. "About the other night, about yesterday, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that or done what I did." He says.

She just reaches up and touches his chin, brushing her thumb over the stubble. He looks at her, somewhat confused. The girl guides him forward, and he can understand that. She kisses him gently, like last night.

When she pulls back, he leans back in and kisses her just as gentle. "I'd say that's apology accepted?" He mumbles against her lips.

Ashlyn rests her nose against his and sighs heavily.

He frowns. "I thought you were okay with this?" He asks her.

"I am." She nods. "It's not that."

"Then what is it?" He asks her.

"You… You should see Chris today." She says.

Derek exhales, pulling away from her. He sits up in bed, looking at the far wall.

Ashlyn sits up too, letting Tyson's arms slip from around her so he's lying on the bed alone. "I didn't really wanna bring it up, but… After last night…" She says. Derek says nothing. "He saved our lives, Derek." She says.

Derek looks at her now, still wearing a frown. "I could have saved you, I didn't need his help. I don't need his help now."

"Derek." She says. "You need to talk to Chris. Get to the bottom of the loft fire, find out where he and his hunters were, if they have alibis or not. You can't just go around killing people off of accusations."

"You think I don't know that?" He asks her, but he isn't mocking her, he isn't even angry. "The last thing I want to do is be anywhere near anyone even associated with the Argents."

"I know." Ashlyn nods. "And I know why. But… I really don't think Chris was part of the loft fire, or… Or the fire at your…family home." She treads so lightly, scared of prodding a sore spot too hard and having him flip out.

Derek looks at her again, _really_ looks at her, studies her in a way that makes Ashlyn think he _is_ going to flip out. But he doesn't. "Not that long ago, you said you didn't trust them." He reminds her.

"I _still_ don't trust them." She says. "But I know a murderer when I see one. I looked that Hell-hound in it's eyes last night… You know what I saw?"

Derek shakes his head. "What did you see?" He asks her.

"Nothing." She says. Derek's eyebrows flatten, confused. "When I look in yours, I see a very strong man, with a dark past. I see the love you have for your sister, and your family, and for the pack. I see a leader. I see a noble, very selfless man." She says, meeting his eyes. But Derek is looking down, because he can't accept the praise. "I don't know Chris very well, but when I look at him I see a protector for his own cause. I see a family man. But when I look at that _thing_ , I see _nothing_. No love. No motivation. Nothing. It's doing what it's doing for _fun_. Derek… Do you understand what I'm saying to you?" She asks him.

He sighs softly and nods, looking back up at her. "That if any of them are innocent, it'd be Chris, and that I should talk to him and patch things up." He says.

"Yes." She nods.

"Also, that you think far too highly of me." He says, a twinkle of amusement flashing in his eyes.

A small smile pulls at Ashlyn's lips. "I don't think those things, Derek." She says. She brings her hand up, caressing his cheek. "I _know_ those things. Otherwise Tyson and I would still be out there in the wild, so would Andrew." She says.

"I guess I can… I can deal with Chris today. But, Christ… I can't deal with Andrew right now, Ashlyn." Derek says.

Ashlyn squeezes his shoulder with soft eyes, for agreeing to talk to Chris. But that look soon disappears, because she knows this thing with Andrew is getting more and more out of hand every day. "I'll talk to him-"

"No." Derek shakes his head. "I don't want you being alone with him, not after the other day."

"Derek…" She sighs.

"Did you forget how he treated you?" He asks her.

She shakes her head. "I didn't forget, and I haven't forgiven him, and yes, I'm still mad. But we're close… If anyone's going to be able to knock some sense into him, it's me. We both know that."

"I don't like it." Derek says, and Ashlyn knows exactly why.

"I know you don't." She says, because she can clearly see that. "But he knows how I feel, that I don't feel the same way about him as he does about me. We need him here to help. And I still don't want him out there, he'll get hurt. I can… I can make this work, just let me try." She says.

Derek exhales out his nose slowly, thinking it over.

"Whether you want this or not, I'm gonna try." She says.

He looks at her and nods, because he knows she will, that's just who she is. "If he so much as touches you-"

"I'll call out and you'll come running?" She offers, hoping to lighten the mood.

And it does, because he fights that little smile of his. "Yeah, something like that." He says.

"Okay." She nods. "So you deal with Chris today, and I'll deal with Andrew?"

"I still don't like either of those ideas." He says. "But… Okay." He nods.

.

 _Lunchtime_

Jessie unlocks the front door, coming into the house. She rubs her temples, her head pounding. She must have a migraine or something. She throws her house keys on the kitchen counter and goes into the living room, plopping down onto the sofa that Andrew isn't using as a bed. At least she's home alone, so she can have some down time and hopefully her headache will dull down or go away completely.

Derek and Ashlyn stand together, waiting for Chris to get off of his phone. "So… Andrew has Tyson for the meantime." Derek says. Ashlyn looks at him. "Did he have anything to say to you?" Derek asks her.

"Just wanted to know if I was okay. And he told me he was sorry about the other day, said it wouldn't happen again." She tells him. "We spoke for all of 3 seconds before you and I had to leave. He took Tyson to the park. So relax." She says. Because she still does trust Andrew with Tyson, she knows he'd never let anything happen to the boy either.

"I don't mean to do that." Derek says, because he's almost sounding like a jealous boyfriend, except they aren't dating, and he _totally_ isn't jealous. "I just don't want him thinking he can come onto you or something like that."

"And why wouldn't he be allowed to do that?" Ashlyn asks him in a challenging tone, because they haven't put any labels on anything. And maybe she likes to push Derek, because he'll push back.

"Because you've been sleeping in my bed, not his." Derek shoots back without missing a beat. "That's not changing any time soon."

"Am I interrupting something?"

The two adults look away from each other, looking at Chris who's now walked back over to them, his phone tucked away again.

"What do you know?" Derek asks, ignoring his question.

"Like I said, I had nothing to do with either of the fires. But… Kate and Zak's whereabouts can't be accounted for, for the loft fire at least. And I haven't seen or heard from them in days. I don't know what else to tell you."

"Tell me that your sister or any of those hunters had nothing to do with the fire that killed my family." Derek says boldly.

Chris just looks at Derek for a few quiet moments. "I had nothing to do with the fire that killed your family." He says.

Ashlyn sees Derek's shoulders tense. No, Chris wasn't lying, but Chris only said _he_ had nothing to do with it.

"I can't swear on anyone else, only myself." Chris explains. "I'm sorry that ever happened, Derek."

"Not as sorry as _they_ will be when I find them." Derek says.

"Get the facts first, Derek. Because I can't let you kill innocent people. I can't let you just kill my hunters, or my family." Chris says.

"I know." Derek says. "Thanks for showing up." Derek says. He takes Ashlyn's hand, right in front of Chris, much to Ashlyn's surprise. "Let's go home." He says, and starts walking away from Chris.

"Derek." Chris says. Ashlyn and Derek stop. Derek looks at the man over his shoulder. "If any of them had something to do with any of that… We have to talk about how we deal with it. I don't like just killing them being the answer."

"I didn't like burning my family alive being the answer either, but that didn't seem to matter." Derek says, and Ashlyn feels him become tenser, he's obviously trying to remain calm.

"If it was one of them, we'll figure it out." Chris says. "But I need you to come to me first, Derek."

Derek just looks at Chris, then keeps walking, Ashlyn following him. She glances back at Chris, and she can see he really hopes none of his crew were involved in either fire, but deep down he knows, just like the pack know, that there's a very high chance of them being solely responsible for both fires.

They come to the car and Derek lets her hand go, fishing his car keys out of his pocket. He unlocks the car, then hears Ashlyn's voice.

"Derek?" Ashlyn says, looking at him. Derek stops, looking up at her. "Are you okay?" She asks him, she's come to see just the mention of his family is painful, so that can't have felt very good.

Derek rests his arms on the top of the Camaro, and he actually thinks about the question. She waits for his answer, a little worried. Derek looks down and he shakes his head. "I'm really not." He says.

Before she can say anything else, or try to comfort him, his phone starts ringing. And Derek answers it right away, so he can escape the emotional interaction.

"Yeah?" He answers his phone. He glances at Ashlyn and she looks a little disappointed at the sudden cut off, getting into the Camaro.

"It's me." Jessie says.

"Jess? Aren't you in class?" Derek says, confused.

"I came home early." She tells him. "So, if they call you, can you tell them you picked me up?"

"Jessie, you can't walk out of school-"

"I feel like shit, c'mon." She says.

Derek exhales. "Fine." He nods. "I'll cover you. Go get in bed, we'll be back soon-"

 _Crack! Bang!_

"Jessie?" Derek says. "Jess? Jess, are you there?" He asks, frowning now. "Jessie?"

Ashlyn looks out the window at Derek, hearing him and seeing the look on his face. She gets out of the car. "What's going on?"

" _No! Get away from me! Derek-"_

Dialtone.

Derek's heart drops, and Ashlyn's eyes widen. He takes off so fast, Ashlyn has to push herself to catch up to him as they sprint back towards the house.

"I was looking for Ashlyn, but I can make this work too." Zak says, throwing Jessie down on the floor.

"Get the hell off of me!" She fights him every step of the way, as the man pins her down, their hips uncomfortably pressed together. "Get off!"

All Derek feels is dread. She's at the house alone. She's alone and there's a malicious Hell-hound on the loose. All he feels is dread.

Ashlyn and Derek race towards the house. They get to the door and it's locked, something's blocking it, keeping it shut.

"No, no! Don't touch me! _Please_ don't touch me!" Jessie cries out.

And that word, _touch_ , it makes Derek barrel his way through the door, like he did in the fire.

Zak's head shoots up. And as soon as Derek sees what's happening, and the Alpha looks him in the eye, the wolf's glowing an aggressive red, Zak knows he's not going to come out of this alive.

"Get him off me!" Jessie cries, terrified. " _Derek_?!"

And the terror in her voice is what pushes Derek to the edge.

Zak sees the Alpha move forward, and he knows he's going to die. He feels adrenaline pump through his veins, he knows he's going to die. It's not his intention, but he sees it. He sees the lamp that fell to the ground in the scuffle to get Jessie on the floor. He grabs it, he knows he's going to die. And holds it up over his head, he knows he's going to die. And he swings it down as hard as he can.

" _Jessie_?!" Ashlyn screams.

Time slows down for Derek. But his body goes into auto-pilot. He can't stop what happens next. He rips Zak off of Jessie and tackles him down onto the floor. His claws come out, they come up, and they come down, _just like the lamp did_. He tears at the man that's begging for his life. Blood squirts up at the Alpha, but he doesn't care, _not one bit_. It takes seconds for Zak to stop moving, very obviously dead, but to Derek it feels like hours. But he doesn't stop there. Once he starts, he can't stop. _He just can't stop._

"Derek!" Ashlyn shouts his name, now at Jessie's side, trying to rouse the girl. But Derek can't hear a thing over his racing heartbeat so clear in his ears. "Derek!" Ashlyn yells. She's trying to find a pulse or something, but Jessie isn't moving, she doesn't seem to be breathing. But when Ashlyn touches her head, she notices just how wet her hands now are, and how wet the ground under her head is. "DEREK?!" Ashlyn screams for him in fear, tears falling down both her cheeks, because the ground isn't wet, her head isn't wet, it's blood. It's _all_ blood.

And it snaps Derek out of it. The Alpha just looks at the remains of Zak, and he feels time starts to speed back up. Until it's normal speed again, and he's just panting, and his heart beat isn't so loud.

"Derek, help me!" Ashlyn screams.

He turns to her, and his stomach flips upside down. The girl holds Jessie in her arms, and the younger girl isn't moving at all. There's blood all over Ashlyn's hands, and it's soaked into her jeans, there's a large pool of it where Jessie's head just was.

"No, no, no." Derek races over, kneeling into Jessie's blood but he doesn't care. "Sweetheart?" He touches Jessie's face, but she doesn't move or say anything. Derek's eyes glaze over and he finds it's hard to see clearly. "Jessie?"

"D-Derek…" Ashlyn stutters.

Derek shakes his head, because he refuses to believe she's… He won't even _think_ it. He takes Jessie out of Ashlyn's arms and stands up. "Get the others, get to the hospital." Derek tells her, and he takes off as fast as he did when he got that phone call.

The rain that begins to come down doesn't bother Derek at all. All he cares about is making his legs move faster, and keeping Jessie held securely, a hand under her head. The blood mixed with rain runs down his arm, but he doesn't care. He cares about getting her to the hospital as safely and quickly as he can. _Because she's not allowed to die on him_.

.

Ashlyn races up the halls, the whole pack with her. Numerous sets of eyes flick between the doors, looking for the right number. "Here! Here!" Scott announces, racing in.

They expect to find Jessie in a hospital bed, Derek at her side, watching over her. But Jessie's nowhere in sight. In fact, it's just a waiting room, a waiting room that only a very distraught Derek occupies.

"Where is she?" Danny asks, stepping forward. "Where's my best friend?" Danny asks, going over to Derek.

Derek's eyes come up. They're red, not Alpha red, they're _tear-filled_ red. He looks at Ashlyn, the silent question in his eyes.

Ashlyn opens her mouth, to explain she couldn't tell them what happened, she was so upset, but she just shakes her head. She looks at him apologetically, because _someone_ needs to tell them what happened.

"What's going on?" Stiles asks. All they know is something is wrong with Jessie, that she's been rushed to hospital. They know nothing else. "Where is she, Derek?" Stiles asks him, looking the Alpha dead in the eye. "Where is she?" He asks, moving to stand in front of Derek. "Tell me where she is. Tell me what happened to her." Stiles demands.

Derek blinks, looking away. He wipes the tear that falls straight away, but not fast enough for the others to miss it. Derek doesn't cry. _Derek does not cry_. Now they know something's _very_ wrong.

"Is she… Is she…alive?" Isaac asks what they're all thinking.

Derek sniffles, wiping his hands down his face. He keeps his head bowed, looking down at his shoes. "Doctor said she probably won't make it through the night." He mumbles.

Danny clings to Isaac's arm, and feels her legs give out. "Whoa. Hey." Isaac catches her, helping her to sit down. "I…" He tries to offer words of comfort, because Danny is Jessie's best friend, but Jessie means so much to all of them, so the words just get stuck in Isaac's throat.

Scott looks at Stiles, and Stiles just looks shocked. And for once, _for once_ , he isn't moving or fidgeting, or anything like that.

Ashlyn moves over to Derek. She sits down beside him, and she can't find the words. She puts her hand on his knee, but there's no comfort in it, because she's just so shocked with what's happened, and what Derek's just said.

 _She might not make it through the night_

"The bite…" Scott says, looking at Derek. "Give her the bite."

A spark of hope flares up in them all, but Derek puts it out when he shakes his head. "Jessie's special. She was the only 1 out of 4 kids that was born human. Her body can't bond with the werewolf gene. I'd just end up…killing her." He mutters, looking down again.

And that's the end of that conversation.

Now they wait.

.

.

 **I hope that chapter was worth the (far too long) wait! What the heck happens now?! JESSIE?!**

 **Favorite! Follow! Review!**


End file.
